


I Undress My Mind And Dare You To Follow

by tumblruserpailylove



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: AU, Addiction, Alcohol Withdrawal, Amputee, Arguing, Awkwardness, Botany, Coffee mug, Comfort, Cooking, Cute, Denial of Feelings, Destiny, Dorks in Love, Drug Withdrawal, Earp sisters, Embarrassment, Epiphany, F/F, Falling In Love, Fate, Feelings Realization, First Dates, First Impressions, Flowers, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Happy Ending, Head Injury, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, Interrupting Wynonna Earp, Kissing, Physical Therapy, Plants, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychologists & Psychiatrists, Psychology, References to Addiction, Rehabilitation, Sarcasm, Sexual Tension, Sharing a Bed, Shotgun, Talking, Therapy, awkward moments, like they live in a big city and there isn't anything supernatural, like totally au, prosthetic, treehouse, waverly is judgy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2020-06-25 00:58:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 57,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19735156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tumblruserpailylove/pseuds/tumblruserpailylove
Summary: Nicole seems a little too arrogant for Waverly's liking. Who does she think she is marching into her place of work and acting like that? The nerve! But sometimes first impressions aren't to be taken to heart. The more she gets to know Nicole the more she finds herself drawn to her, no matter how hard she fights against it. Will she be able to get over her own stubbornness and make peace with the new girl? Or will she continue to push Nicole away because she has a tendency to make her more introspective than she likes. They both soon realize that sometimes you really have no choice in the matter.**This started out as purely fluff but I have a sickness and can't write anything without at least a little conflict so it turned into a short story about two people destined to be together even though it takes them a second to realize it.**





	1. Paint a portrait of my mystery

A very flustered Waverly Earp rushed through the doors of her office building with a huff. She was running late for work, which she hated, and she knew she had a busy day. She prided herself on being organized and on time. She knew being late would throw off her entire day.

As she approached the desk of her assistant just outside the door of her office she swept up the pile of patient files that were placed there for her. She gave a rushed smile to the young man “Please tell me my first patient isn’t here yet?”

“No, but-”

“Oh thank god” Waverly cut her assistant off as she rushed passed him toward her door. She had her eyes focused on the top file that she had flipped open to scan as she walked into her office. She liked to know who she had scheduled so she could pull up notes from their last session to remind herself of the progress they were making together.

She jumped out of her skin when her eyes caught sight of someone standing in her office. She let out a surprised squeak and quickly slammed the file she had been reading closed. “Um, excuse me?”

“Oh, sorry” The tall red head turned around when she heard a voice behind her. Her eyes were greeted with a pleasant sight of a small but frazzled looking woman. She perked an eyebrow at Waverly and smiled very slightly “The door was open.”

“You’re not really…” Waverly rushed over to the tall stranger quickly. She turned and set the stack of files on the desk to her left before she gently reached her hands out. She wrapped them around the antique shotgun that the redhead was holding and delicately took it from her. “You aren’t supposed to touch that.”

“I wasn’t going to use it” The taller woman lifted her hands in a motion of surrender before fixing Waverly with a smile. “I was just curious about what kind it was.”

“You still aren’t allowed to touch it” Waverly eyed the woman up and down slowly, curiously, before shaking her head and stepping around her to set the shotgun back on the display stand where it resided. Once her hands were freed up she brushed some of her loose hanging bangs from her eyes and stepped back around her desk. She flipped open the top file again and scanned it. After a moment of not finding what she was looking for she looked at the woman with a concerned frown “I’m sorry but I wasn’t aware that I had a new patient today. Do you have an appointment?”

“Oh you think…” The woman motioned to herself and let out a laugh. She glanced over her outfit and quickly realized her relaxed track pants and zipped up hoodie did look a little too casual. Her head shook and she looked back up at Waverly with a grin on her lips “I can see why you misunderstood. But I am not a patient.”

“Then why are you here?” Waverly motioned to the door of her office then to where Nicole was standing in her office and shook her head.

“Where are my manners” The woman chuckled again and now extended her hand for Waverly to shake. “My name is Nicole. Nicole Haught. I’m new here and I was making my rounds this morning to introduce myself.”

“You’re…” Waverly perked an eyebrow as she looked over Nicole’s attire now. She looked like she was about to go to the gym. There was nothing about her that sold the idea that she worked in a medical office building. She gave her head a shake as her eyes came around to meet Nicole’s gaze “You have got to be kidding me.”

“I know, right?” Nicole motioned to her casual outfit before running her hand back through her chin length wavy red hair. She shrugged at herself then motioned somewhere behind where she stood “I definitely don’t look like a therapist of any sort but I can assure you I am.”

Waverly still didn’t look like she believed the woman. She motioned to herself and the very professional outfit she was dressed in. She had a white button up blouse, a grey pencil skirt with a matching blazer, and a pair of black rimmed glasses on her face. She then motioned to Nicole and breathed out a laugh “Can you blame me for my mistake?”

“You’re kind of judgy” Nicole laughed. She was not offended. She barely knew this woman and felt absolutely no urge to get her approval. She never really cared much what anyone thought so why would she start caring now. “But I get it…” She started to move toward the door of the office now with her hands held up near her shoulders as if she were signaling she was giving up. She paused at the door and turned back to look at Waverly once more. Judgy or not she was kind of adorable. She smirked at the thought and pointed down the hallway “If you feel like apologizing you can find me in the new Physical Therapy wing of the building.” She gave a wink, tapped her hand against the door frame, then turned and left the office.

Waverly felt like an idiot. She had completely forgotten the building had just opened a Physical Therapy wing. It had been a huge project that had taken over a year to build. She let out a sigh at herself before she turned and looked at her stack of files again. She knew being late would throw her entire day off. Hopefully Nicole wouldn’t hold her poor manners against her for too long.

~.~.~.~.~.

Waverly had finally found some time between patients to make her way to the break room a few doors down the hallway. She had not been able to make herself coffee that morning because she had been running late. She also had not eaten breakfast. She was looking forward to a strong cup of coffee and the fruit salad she had stashed in the fridge the day before. 

She turned the corner into the open break room and was immediately greeted by a few of her colleagues that she had worked with for years. There were a handful of people spread out throughout the room enjoying some coffee and light conversation. She let out a heavy sigh and rolled her eyes as she focused on her best friend “I have had quite a morning. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

Rosita, Waverly’s oldest friend and closest colleague, gave a nod and sipped from her coffee mug “Oh we heard all about it already.”

“How?” Waverly let out a huffed laugh as she moved toward the fridge. She pulled the door open in search of her fruit salad.

“Jeremy told us all about your frantic phone calls all morning” Rosita let out a soft laugh. She looked back at the newspaper she was reading before giving a nod “Also the entire building has already heard how you were rude to the new girl.”

“I was not rude” Waverly gasped as she shut the fridge and moved over to the table where Rosita was sitting. She set her fruit down and put her hands on her hips with a huff “Is that what she said?”

“I am pretty sure I said you were less than welcoming” Nicole mumbled from where she had been tucked in the corner near the coffee machine listening in amusement.

Waverly whirled around because the coffee machine was just inside the door and, thus, behind her. Her eyes got wide with panic when she realized Nicole had heard everything. She was about to lash out at her for spying but she stopped when her eyes landed on a surprising sight. Nicole was no longer dressed in her casual gym clothes. Instead she wore a white button up with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, a light blue sweater vest over the shirt, and a pair of form fitting black slacks. She tried to blink the surprise away before shaking her head “I am sorry about that.”

Nicole just waved the notion off with a laugh before turning to grab her coffee off the counter where she had been mixing it when Waverly had walked in “I caught you on an off day. I think I can forgive you.”

Waverly gasped as her eyes focused on the mug that Nicole was now holding. “Um, excuse me, that is my coffee mug.”

Nicole paused mid-sip and perked an eyebrow at the woman. She slowly lowered the cup from her mouth and eyed it for a moment. She then motioned with the mug toward Waverly and let out a laugh “I wasn’t aware there were assigned mugs.”

“Well there’s not” Waverly mumbled with a shrug. “Not exactly. But we all just kind of drink out of the same one every day. Like an unspoken agreement.”

“Well maybe you should post these unspoken agreements for new people to read?” Nicole suggested with a shrug and pushed off the counter she was leaning against. She moved past Waverly with a smirk on her lips.

“You’re not going to give me my mug?” Waverly whirled around looking completely appalled.

“No” Nicole said in a matter-of-fact tone as she took another sip. “I already made my coffee in this mug why would I pour it in a different cup? That’s just asinine.” She motioned to the cupboard that held more mugs than necessary and nodded “There are plenty of clean mugs you can use.”

Waverly opened her mouth to argue but quickly realized everyone was watching the exchange. She shut her mouth and let out a sigh. She shook her head and turned her back on Nicole to make her way over to the coffee pot. She could not believe the arrogance. Who did she think she was? You can’t just march into an established place of work and make yourself at home like that!

Nicole smirked to herself from where she had settled across the room. She watched Waverly huff and puff as she made herself a cup of coffee. She couldn’t explain why but she had already enjoyed the two short interaction she had engaged in with the woman. Maybe because it was entertaining to her that she could so easily get in the head of someone who had literally studied the human mind for years.

Waverly had no idea why Nicole was bothering her so much. Usually she would just shrug off such arrogance and know that she was probably using it as a shield to hide some sort of insecurity. It had to be the fact that she had started the day off on the wrong foot. No one ever frazzled her. She had studied human behaviors and why people acted the way they did for years. She had three different Psychology degrees. How people treated her never phased her because she could easily figure out the reason behind it. But this? This was new. It was also very, very annoying.

She finished making her coffee, drew in a deep breath to center herself, then turned around with every intention of ignoring Nicole. That is when she realized the woman was gone. She perked an eyebrow and looked at Rosita curiously “Where did she go?”

“She had a patient” Rosita motioned to the door then let out a laugh as she focused on her friend. “I have never seen anyone get under your skin, babe. Are you alright?”

Waverly rolled her eyes and plopped down at the table next to her friend. She set her coffee down and reached for her fruit before letting out a sigh “My sister suddenly showed up after three years this morning. It really threw me off.”

“Oh shit” Rosita perked an eyebrow and sat up a little straighter in her seat. “Wynonna’s back?”

Waverly just gave a nod before reaching for her coffee again. She let out another heavy sigh and sank back into her chair. Everything had been going so well for her so it made sense that her troublesome sister would show up out of nowhere and complicate things. She had to shake it off, though. She still had her patients to focus on. She could deal with her own problems later.

~.~.~.~.~.

There was a soft knock that broke the silence that had fallen around Waverly in her office. It was the end of the day and she was taking time after her last patient to make notations in their file for her to be able to review next time. She was usually the last to leave the building so hearing the knock startled her. She took her glasses off and looked up from the file as she called out “It’s open.”

Nicole slowly cracked the door and poked her head in. When she saw Waverly sitting at her desk she gave a very soft smile and slipped fully into the room. She took a few steps then paused. She slowly tucked her hands into the front pockets of her black slacks and nodded “I wanted to come by and apologize. I gave you a hard time today.”

Waverly just waved a hand in a quick flick to the side as if brushing it off “I was unpleasant to you this morning. I really should be the one apologizing.”

“I overstepped” Nicole motioned now to the shotgun that was displayed on the wall behind Waverly’s desk. “I intruded on your personal space.”

Waverly glanced behind her to the gun. She stood now and reached for the piece, lifting it off it’s display, before drawing it slowly down toward herself. Her eyes fell to the gun as her fingers slid gently over some of the fine details. A smile came to her lips as she finally looked up to Nicole “I have to admit you have good taste. Most people just see an old gun. They don’t get it.”

“I’m by no means an expert” Nicole admitted with a laugh as she moved toward Waverly now that the woman seemed to be offering a sort of olive branch. “But I can appreciate fine craftsmanship and stunning beauty.” When she spoke the word beauty her eyes shifted to land on Waverly instead of the gun.

When Nicole’s eyes met hers Waverly felt her stomach flinch. The timing of the shifted gaze seemed to line up with Nicole speaking about beauty and Waverly was almost positive that had not been a coincidence. She didn’t know why but the idea made her stomach knot up. She had endured more unwanted advances and cheesy pickup lines than she could count in her life but this moment from Nicole seemed like neither. She tried to quickly shake it off as her eyes fell back to the gun “It was hard to find.”

“How about you tell me about it over dinner?” Nicole asked softly now as both hands moved to once more tuck into the pockets on the slacks she wore.

This surprised Waverly and it showed on her face when she looked up at Nicole. She blinked just once and couldn’t help the baffled laugh that slipped from her lips “What?”

“It’s the least I can do” Nicole shrugged and for the first time looked less than completely arrogant. “For my behavior, I mean” She added quickly and motioned behind herself to indicate their earlier interactions.

“Oh” Waverly breathed the word out and gave her head a few quick shakes. “That’s really not necessary. An apology was more than sufficient.”

“I insist” Nicole’s tone dripped with sincerity as her hand lifted to lay over her heart.

“Really, Nicole” Waverly shook her head again. The genuineness in Nicole’s eyes was so intense that she found herself having to look away. She looked at the gun again for a moment before turning back around to put it safely on it’s display.

“I won’t be able to sleep at night until I make this right” Nicole’s tone lightened just a bit as a laugh trickled out with the words.

Waverly smirked to herself in amusement. She wondered why Nicole was being so insistent. She slowly turned back to face the other woman with the smirk still in place “You’re persistent. I’ll give you that.”

Nicole’s arrogance seemed to return in that moment as she pushed a hand back through her short strands of hair. A smirk flickered at the corner of her lips and she lifted just one shoulder in a shrug “I don’t hear a no in there.”

Waverly rolled her eyes and let out a soft laugh as she tried, and failed, to be annoyed that Nicole’s cocky swagger had returned. Her head gave a shake before she finally flicked her hand to the side to show she was giving in “Fine. But not tonight.”

“Need time to prepare. I get it” Nicole gave her a teasing wink now. She had met her fair share of various Psychologists and most of them were overthinkers. She had no idea if Waverly was as well so the comment was mostly a joke. Mostly.

Waverly shook her head and huffed out a laugh as she turned back to her desk. She started to gather her things, glancing up at Nicole every couple of seconds, before she finally rolled her eyes. “You can leave now.”

Another smirk came to Nicole’s lips because she could tell she had once more gotten into Waverly’s head. She would take the small victory for the night. She gave a single nod and started to back up toward the door. She never took her eyes off Waverly as she moved. As she reached the doorway she paused and took a few moments to simply soak in all that was the essence of Waverly Earp. She had never met someone who had immediately intoxicated her the way this woman had. She wondered if this was the start to something far more interesting than an apology dinner with a colleague.

She tapped her fingers against the door frame as the thought moved through her mind. She finally gave a nod before she broke the silence that had filled the room as she spoke. It was soft, almost shy, as all traces of her arrogance had vanished “Have a good night, Waverly.”

Before Waverly could return the farewell Nicole had slipped out of the door and disappeared. She drew in a deep breath and fought another flutter in her stomach as a smile came to her lips. Her day had not started well. Her first impression of Nicole had not been positive. But here she stood at the end of the day feeling completely surprised. Pleasantly, so. She was usually so good at being able to read someone’s character within a few minutes of meeting them but Nicole had managed to prove her wrong. This only served to pique her interest all the more.

~.~.~.~.~.~.

Nicole knocked softly on the slightly ajar door that led to Waverly’s office. She then poked her head in and smiled when she saw Waverly sitting behind her desk “Got a sec?”

Waverly glanced up from the file she was reading over and a smile of her own lifted on her lips when she saw Nicole peeking in. She gave a nod and pulled her glasses off her face before motioning with her hand for the woman to come into the room.

“So…” Nicole pushed the door open to allow herself to pass through it easily. She held one hand behind her back as she approached the desk. “I bet you’re busy so I won’t take up a lot of your time. I just wanted to give you this…” She pulled her hand out from behind her back to reveal the coffee mug that Waverly had been so adamant belonged to her the day before. She moved slowly to set it on the end of Waverly’s desk before motioning to it “Just in case you hadn’t gotten a chance to make yourself coffee yet.”

“You…” Waverly perked an eyebrow as her eyes fell to the steam rising out of the mug. “You made me coffee?”

“To apologize for yesterday” Nicole nodded and motioned to the cup again. “Also so no one else accidentally used your cup before you got to it today.”

“How did you…” Waverly was very obviously flattered by the gesture. Her lips had not ceased in smiling since seeing Nicole. She reached for the mug and slid it closer to herself. She glanced at the coffee and an eyebrow perked slightly on her forehead “How did you know how I take it?”

Nicole just shook her head and started to back out of the room now. She lifted a single finger to her lips to indicate she would not share her secret before she turned to head from the room without another word. 

Waverly was flabbergasted to say the least. Just when she thought she might be able to figure Nicole out she did something completely unexpected. Her head shook as she reached for the coffee mug. She lifted it to her lips and took a slow sip. She shouldn’t have been surprised that it tasted perfect, but she was. Her eyes flickered to look at the door Nicole had disappeared through with astonishment. She wondered what other surprises Nicole had in store for her.

~.~.~.~.~.

Waverly had not seen Nicole for the rest of the day. That wasn’t too unusual for where she worked. The office building housed a wide variety of different medical specialists and most days everyone was booked back to back with appointments. So she was not surprised they had not crossed paths again. She was surprised, however, by the fact that she felt slightly disappointed by that. She couldn’t explain why but the idea of seeing Nicole simply brightened her day.

Luckily she was set to have dinner with Nicole that evening. She made quick work of her notes after her last patient had left before she hurried out of the building. She needed to get home to change before dinner. She wanted to look nice. She always strived to look put together. She liked the message it sent. She had worked hard to be taken seriously and she wanted her appearance to reflect that.

She was on her way out to her car when she paused just a few feet outside the door. Her eyes landed on someone leaning against her car and as recognition set in she let out a sigh “I told you not to bother me at work.”

“Looks closed to me” Wynonna motioned to the front door of the huge office building her sister had just exited.

Waverly rolled her eyes and continued toward her car now “What do you want?”

“Can I stay with you for a few days?” Wynonna pushed off the car and stepped to the side to allow Waverly a path to the driver’s side door.

“No” Waverly mumbled as she pressed the button to unlock her doors then quickly pulled the door open.

“Come on, man. We’re family” Wynonna almost whined the words out.

“Last time you stayed with me you disappeared with three very rare and very expensive antiques” Waverly whirled around with a fierce glare on her face. “Now you have the audacity to show up three years later without even a phone call?”

“I’m sorry, Waves. That was really fucked up. I’m…” Wynonna motioned to herself then let out a heavy sigh “...I’m working on getting help.”

Waverly rolled her eyes and turned back around to her car. She tossed her briefcase into her seat before turning back to her sister “I have heard that before. Remember when I recommended someone who specializes in addiction and you promised me up and down you’d go?” She threw her hands to the side in frustration “I know the pattern, Wynonna. I’ve studied the pattern. Until you break the cycle yourself I would only be enabling you by letting you stay with me.”

“It’s a few fucking days!” Wynonna shouted. She stepped closer to her sister and grabbed onto her arm tightly. She gave a soft tug as if she were desperately trying to get Waverly to believe her “I can’t do this alone. I just need a few days to get on my feet.”

“Then get a hotel” Waverly hissed and tried to pull her arm out of Wynonna’s grip. When she was met with resistance she perked an eyebrow and stared at her sister with a fire in her eyes “Take your hand off of me.”

“Please” Wynonna tugged a little harder as hopelessness started to set in on her face. “Three days.”

“Let go of me” Waverly growled and attempted to tug her arm free once more. When that again failed she used her other hand to push against Wynonna’s chest “I’m not kidding around, Wynonna. Get off of me.”

“I’m not letting go until you agree to let me stay with you” Wynonna’s tone was less pitiful and more malicious now. She gave a firm tug and watched as her sister tumbled to the side.

“Wynonna, stop. You’re hurting me” Waverly groaned and started to struggle against her now.

“Let me stay with you” Wynonna shouted again and gave another firm tug that sent Waverly jerking into the open door of her car.

“Hey!” Nicole suddenly rushed over. She had been heading to her own car when she heard shouting nearby. As soon as she realized the situation was turning violent she had quickly made her presence known. She pushed her arm between Wynonna and Waverly and grabbed hold of where Wynonna’s hand was wrapped tightly around her sister’s arm. She fixed Wynonna with a strong stare and spoke in an assertive tone “Let her go.”

“Who the Hell are you?” Wynonna tried to shove Nicole away with her other hand. When the woman barely moved, she perked an eyebrow and looked her over from head to toe. “Why don’t you mind your own damn business.”

“Just let her go and we can all go our separate ways” Nicole’s tone did not waver. She was barely taller than Wynonna but with her chest puffed out and her stiffened posture she looked intimidating. Her eyes hadn’t even blinked since fixing them on Wynonna. She gave a shake of her head and stepped closer to Wynonna “Don’t make me call the cops.”

“Fucking nosy ass narc” Wynonna grunted as her hand dramatically released her sister’s arm as if to emphasize she had let her go. She took a step back and shook her head. Her eyes then focused on her sister who was slightly behind Nicole and she motioned to her with a look of disgust on her face “After all we’ve been through…” She snorted in disapproval then turned to leave.

Nicole stood stiff until Wynonna was out of view. Once she was sure the woman was gone she turned around to face Waverly. She frowned slightly and reached gently for the arm that Wynonna had been holding onto tightly “Are you alright?”

“Fine” Waverly brushed her hair off her face and gave a flick of her hand. She didn’t want to admit that her arm kind of hurt.

“Who was that?” Nicole now motioned over her shoulder blindly.

“She is a…” Waverly sighed at how to describe her sister. She gave her head a shake as her eyes focused on Nicole “....long story.”

Nicole nodded and stepped back now that she knew Waverly was okay. She let her eyes flicker over the girl as if looking for any signs that she was lying about being alright. She was visibly shaken, that was for sure, but Nicole would not push any further. Instead she cleared her throat and once more motioned behind herself “I’d totally understand if you weren’t in the mood for dinner.”

“Really?” Waverly bit her lip. She felt bad about canceling but she was most definitely not in the mood now.

“Of course” A sincere smile rose on Nicole’s lips for a brief moment. Her gaze held on Waverly tenderly. She didn’t know the girl well but she had a feeling that whoever that had been was someone Waverly cared deeply about. “Raincheck. Just let me know.”

“I’m sorry” Waverly sighed heavily and motioned to where Wynonna had disappeared. “She just-”

“No need to apologize” Nicole laid a gentle hand against Waverly’s shoulder. She spoke calmly and evenly to show that she was being honest with her words. “Are you sure you’re alright to drive?”

Waverly felt her stomach flutter again and she knew it was caused by the way Nicole was handling what she had just seen. She was a literal stranger and yet she had managed to show more compassion than most would in the same situation. Waverly believed that someone’s true character was often revealed in the face of injustice and right now she was seeing another completely new side of Nicole.

She quickly shook that thought off and tried to laugh it away as she turned back to her car. She leaned in to move her briefcase out of her seat and into the passenger side. She then reemerged and had a fake smile on her face “I will be fine. I promise.”

Nicole could see that Waverly was very politely trying to release her from any obligation to help. So she would oblige. She gave a nod to show she had heard her words and took a step back. She adjusted the strap of the messenger bag she wore on her shoulder before reaching into the breast pocket of the mint green button up she had worn that day. She produced one of her business cards and extended it out toward Waverly “If you want to talk or blow off steam or need me to come check for monsters under your bed.” She tried to laugh at the last of her words to show she was attempting to lighten the mood. She then shrugged and looked more serious again “Just call if you need anything.”

Waverly wanted to be annoyed that Nicole was offering to listen to her problems but she couldn’t be. The woman was so genuinely nice. So she took the business card that was offered and gave a single nod of her head. “I appreciate it.”

Nicole gave a satisfied nod and decided there was no more left to say. Waverly did not want to explain and Nicole would not push. So she took a few more steps backwards before she lifted her hand in a slight wave “See you tomorrow, Wavery.”

“Thank you” Waverly returned the wave and smiled at the woman. She watched her turn and head to her car. She stood outside her own vehicle until Nicole had started the engine on hers. She then let out a sigh and climbed in to do the same. As she popped her car into gear she gave her head a shake. She had no idea what she was going to do about her sister.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

“Hey” Nicole knocked on Waverly’s door but did not wait to walk in since it had been fully open. She offered a soft smile when her eyes landed on the woman behind her desk as she always seemed to be.

“Hey” Waverly sounded tired but managed to smile softly when she looked up from her paperwork. That is when she noticed Nicole’s attire and she perked an eyebrow before motioning to it with the end of the pen she held “Don’t tell me you’re one of those gym rats who workouts out at lunch instead of eating.”

“Judgy” Nicole huffed out a laugh as she looked at her clothing. She was once more dressed in the track pants and hoodie she had been wearing the first time she had met Waverly. She shook it off with amusement on her lips as her eyes lifted to find the woman eyeing her suspiciously “Can you pull the stick out of your ass for five minutes and follow me?”

“Excuse me?” Waverly coughed out a laugh that was only half offended as she pulled her glasses from her nose and set them on her desk. “You wanna try that again?”

“You gave me shit about my-” Nicole motioned to her clothes then stopped herself because it didn’t matter. She quickly shook it off and motioned for Waverly to get up “Just come with me, please? I want to show you something.”

Waverly opened her mouth to argue but stopped herself. She wanted to say she didn’t have time. She was behind on her notes and still needed to get lunch before the next round of patients started to show up. But she decided in that moment to just go with the flow even if she really hated going with the flow. She stood up from her desk and motioned to Nicole “Fine. Lead the way.”

Nicole smiled widely and turned around in a hurry. She knew they were both busy so she wouldn’t beat around the bush. She didn’t even check behind her to see if Waverly had followed. She set off down the hallway that led toward the new wing of the building. It was pretty much a straight shot and within just a minute she was standing outside a set of double doors. She finally turned to see if Waverly had followed and smiled when she saw the smaller woman was right behind her. “Okay, I know you don’t have a lot of time most days but I wanted to let you know if you ever needed a few minutes to unwind-”

“Where are we?” Waverly motioned impatiently at the doors.

“You need to learn how to be patient” Nicole spoke honestly but with a soft laugh to show that she wasn’t really offended. She then turned and pushed the doors open. She stepped inside and motioned to the huge open area that looked almost like a sports gymnasium. The ceilings were high, the floors were wooden and polished, and there were various pieces of equipment placed throughout. She turned and looked at Waverly with a smile “Welcome to my world.”

Waverly was honestly astounded. She had known they were doing a huge addition on the building but she had never really bothered to take a look at what they were building. She realized she didn’t often take the time to bother with anything outside her own life. She shook the thought off and glanced back at Nicole curiously “What is all of this?”

“This is the jungle” Nicole laughed as she walked into the room further. “At least that’s what we call it.” She turned now to look back at Waverly. When she saw she still looked confused she gave another laugh “Physical therapy requires the use of various types of devices.” She shrugged and motioned to a few things nearby. “I know it kind of looks like a gym on steroids but everything in this room has a purpose.”

“Okay?” Waverly could see Nicole was excited and that was infectious but she also did not understand why the woman had brought her here.

“So…” Nicole moved to scoop up a large ball from the ground. It had a stitched vinyl outside and was twice the size of a basketball. She tossed it up and let it fall to the ground. It did not bounce but instead landed with a heavy thud indicating it held significant weight “If you ever need to blow off some steam, I would be happy to show you how everything works.”

“Nicole, I…” Waverly shook her head as her eyes flickered about. There were contraptions and devices she had never seen in her life. She let out a soft laugh as she brought her eyes back to the other woman “I wouldn’t know where to start. I’m also not sure it would help.”

“You’d be surprised” Nicole gave a nod as she stepped closer to Waverly. She put a hand on her shoulder and again that genuine concern for the woman filled her gaze as she spoke “Injuries heal in all different types of ways. Don’t count anything out until you give it a shot.”

“I’m not injured” Waverly huffed and motioned to her entire body. “Not even a single surgery!”

“Maybe not physically…” Nicole lifted a hand and put it over her own heart now. She tapped a few times at her chest and nodded firmly at the woman “It can work for this, too.”

“Don’t pretend you know anything about me” Waverly’s defenses shot up immediately at the assumption from Nicole. She stepped backwards as her head shook feverishly back and forth. 

“Hey, I am just trying to-”

“Don’t” Waverly put a hand up to stop Nicole from speaking, from following her, from continuing down the road of thought she was on. She did not want anyone, least of all a complete stranger who had the tendency to come off as a know-it-all, involved in her personal life. 

“Waverly, come on” Nicole let out a heavy sigh as her face fell into a frown. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“Stay out of my business” Waverly shot her a warning glare before turning and storming out without another word.

Nicole’s head shook as she watched the woman leave. She looked around where she stood and with a heavy sigh she swung her foot out to kick the heavy medicine ball she had lifted just moments prior. That had been a bad idea, as the ball was nearly solid, and she let out a groan as she grabbed her toe. She didn’t think it was fair that this was what she got for trying to help.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

When a knock came to Nicole’s office door she perked an eyebrow and looked up. Her door was wide open and most people knew that they didn’t need to knock. If her door was open they were welcome to walk right in so it was curious that someone had knocked. When she saw that Waverly was standing sheepishly in her doorway she immediately understood why the woman had knocked.

“I didn’t expect to see you today” Nicole smiled very slightly as she sat back in her chair and eyed the woman up and down slowly. She could tell by her body language that Waverly was nervous. They had not spoken since Waverly had stormed out on her the day before. 

“I wanted to apologize” Waverly bit her lip and took a single timid step into the office now that Nicole knew she was there and was not immediately telling her to go away.

“I get it” Nicole shook her head and lifted a hand to stop the woman from continuing. “I don’t know you so it was presumptuous of me to try and pretend I did. I tend to be a little overbearing when it comes to helping people. I insert myself into situations without being asked.” She let out a soft laugh and stood from her chair now. “I can respect that you have every right to deal with your own life by yourself.”

“You were just trying to help” Waverly took another step into the office now. “I am not used to being helped.” She let out a sheepish sounding laugh and her shoulders lifted into a shrug. “I should not have snapped.”

“It’s totally cool” Nicole lifted her hand once more to stop Waverly’s apology from continuing. “We’re strangers.”

“I want to fix this” Waverly’s tone was firm. “So, if you would be so kind, I’d like to have lunch with you to say I’m sorry.”

This surprised Nicole. A soft smile came to her lips as she carefully looked Waverly over. After a moment a light laugh came from her mouth “You realize that means we have to share two meals together now?”

“You have done more than enough to make up for our first encounter. I will not hold you to that dinner” Waverly shook her head with a smile rising on her lips. 

“Oh no I am a woman of my word” Nicole tapped her chest then stepped around her desk. She folded her arms and leaned against the top of her desk slightly. “We are still doing dinner sometime.”

“Fine” Waverly waved it off because there was no need to argue. “But only if you agree to have lunch with me?”

“Fine” Nicole repeated Waverly’s sentiment as her hands lifted in a quick gesture to show there would be no argument from her either.

“Perfect. So…” Waverly quickly move back toward the office door. She reached out into the hallway and scooped up the bag she had stashed there. As she straightened up and revealed the bag, she gave a wide smile, and nodded at Nicole “I wasn’t sure if you had any dietary restrictions so I decided salad was a safe bet.”

“Wait, you meant lunch right now?” Nicole laughed and pointed to the floor to indicate the moment they were currently in.

Waverly nodded proudly and swung the bag containing the food back and forth from where it dangled in her hand.

Nicole shook her head in amusement before she pushed off her desk. She moved over to her office door and pushed it shut before turning and moving back toward her desk. She pressed a button on the telephone that sat on her desk and after a moment a voice came through the speaker asking what Nicole needed. She smiled at Waverly and spoke toward the telephone “I am going on lunch and I am not to be disturbed. I’ll collect any messages once I’m done.”

Waverly had turned and started to look around the office while Nicole was speaking with her assistant. She waited until the brief exchange had ended before she turned and motioned to some of the shelves that were displaying various pictures and random items. “You’ve personalized this place pretty quickly.”

“I’ve been bringing my stuff in over the past three weeks” Nicole laughed as her eyes focused on Waverly. She was watching the woman taking in all of her various decorations. It wasn’t overly decorated but she had enough personal things to really showcase who she was as a doctor and what was important to her.

“But I thought you’d just started?” Waverly looked surprised at the revelation.

“Taking patients here, yes” Nicole confirmed as she slid her hands into the pockets of her black slacks. “But the offices have been ready for weeks.”

“Oh” Waverly felt a little dumb. That made sense. She shrugged and turned to face Nicole now. She offered her a smile as she set the bag of food on Nicole’s desk “So why didn’t you introduce yourself earlier?”

“I did” Nicole spoke softly as her eyes shifted to the bag of food. Her stomach growled and it was then that she realized she was hungry. “But you are a hard woman to track down.”

“You’ve found me just fine the last few days” Waverly laughed as she started to dig things out of the bag. She pulled out numerous different containers and lined them up on Nicole’s desk. 

“With much difficulty” Nicole laughed as she watched the woman unload the bag. It was then that she realized every topping was in a separate container. She perked an eyebrow and motioned to all the options “For future reference, I’m not picky so you can definitely just throw everything in the same bowl next time.”

“I was just being considerate” Waverly shrugged as she discarded the bag now that it was empty.

“So did you have this already ordered in hopes that I would agree to lunch or were you planning on eating all of this by yourself?” Nicole asked with a smirk.

“I was going to bug you until you said yes” Waverly glanced up from where she was taking all the lids off the containers and gave Nicole a smile.

“Why?” Nicole motioned to the food with a laugh. “I just mean why did it have to be today?”

“As you so aptly pointed out yesterday I am impatient” Waverly admitted with a laugh.

“Sorry about that” Nicole frowned as she took the plate that Waverly offered to her now.

“Don’t be. You’re right” Waverly shrugged as she focused on the food. 

“I don’t even know you. I shouldn’t have said that” Nicole loaded a few different toppings onto her salad.

“You don’t put up with bullshit, do you?” Waverly glanced up with a curious eyebrow raised at Nicole.

“I don’t really see the point in that” Nicole shook her head and gave Waverly a smile. She set her plate down now as she took a seat in one of the chairs that were situated on the other side of her desk.

“It’s admirable” Waverly nodded and moved to sit in the chair next to Nicole. They sat side by side, using Nicole’s desk as a table, as they settled in to eat.

Nicole gave a nod at that but didn’t comment. She focused on her food, poking at it, mixing it all around, more than happy to let a silence fall over the room.

Waverly perked an eyebrow at the fact that Nicole had not continued the conversation. She eyed the woman curiously for a few moments. When it seemed she was content to sit and eat without talking she let out a huffed laugh “As adamant as you’ve been to help me I thought for sure you’d relish in the chance to have a conversation with me.”

“People like you tend to want to listen more than they want to talk” Nicole shrugged and poked at her food again.

“People like me?” Waverly looked offended. “What exactly does that mean.”

“Psychologists” Nicole chuckled and reached out to put a hand on Waverly’s shoulder in a gesture to try and calm her down. “You’re so used to listening that you forget you’re allowed to talk.”

Waverly let out an indignant huff and shook her head “That is presumptuous of you.”

“So tell me about yourself” Nicole motioned to Waverly with the hand that she had just pulled off her shoulder.

Waverly shook her head and looked down at her salad. She was quiet for a moment, as if in thought, before she looked back up at Nicole. When she saw the woman looking at her expectantly she rolled her eyes and laughed before motioning around the office “So how are you liking it here so far?”

“Mhm” Nicole hummed in amusement as she looked back at her food. “That’s what I thought.”

“Oh like you know anything” Waverly huffed in annoyance.

“You’re not the only one with a fancy degree in human behavioral science” Nicole breathed out the words with a hint of a laugh as she motioned to one of the framed certifications hanging on the wall behind her desk.

Waverly’s eyes went wide when she realized how rude she had just been. She looked horrified in herself. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to assume-”

“I know when people hear physical therapy they assume it’s just moving around and rehabilitating injuries” Nicole interrupted Waverly so she would not continue to apologize. “I take pride in the mental rehab part of it, too.”

Waverly shook her head and let out a very heavy sigh. Nicole continued to break down all assumptions she had made about the woman. “Of course you do.”

Nicole could tell Waverly felt bad. She gave her a soft smile and reached out to lay an assuring touch to her arm “You’re not ready to talk about yourself and I get that. I want you to know that you do have someone willing to listen when you are.”

Waverly’s head shook again a little more feverishly. She let out a sigh and slumped back in her chair “I am so used to taking on the weight of the world that I forget it can be shared.”

“And” Nicole stood now and moved over to a small fridge in the corner of her room. She leaned down and pulled it open. She retrieved two water bottles before turning and kicking it closed “You have the option of working out some of that stress silently in the gym.”

“I wouldn’t know where to start” Waverly laughed as she took the water bottle from Nicole when she offered it.

Nicole motioned now to the other certification hanging on the other side of the wall behind her desk and laughed “I am super qualified to point you in the right direction.”

“I wouldn’t want to-”

“I offered” Nicole put a hand to her heart and set a firm gaze on Waverly so she knew she was being sincere. “It would be my pleasure.”

“Nicole, I-”

“Think about it” Nicole stopped Waverly from trying to deflect the help again. She reached for her plate of food and moved around her desk to sit in her usual chair now. She gave the other woman a smile as she sat. They were actually talking now so she wanted to be able to look at her while she ate “So when are we doing dinner?”

Waverly snorted out a laugh at that and shook her head in amusement. Her eyes flickered from her food to the woman as a smile rose on her lips “Are you always so persistent?”

“You don’t accomplish anything by waiting” Nicole shrugged and stabbed at her food. “Are you always so stubborn?”

“Yes” Waverly laughed out her answer. “What about our interactions makes you even have to question that?”

“I was giving you the benefit of the doubt” Nicole chuckled herself before glancing at her food. She moved it around before looking back to Waverly with a nod “It’s not a bad thing. Being stubborn, I mean.”

“I know” Waverly’s smile softened a little. The way Nicole was being so understanding, even assuring her there was nothing wrong with what she considered to be a flaw, was making her feel bashful. She wasn’t sure why. She was not the type of girl who let herself be swept up by compliments or kind words. But Nicole seemed to want nothing more than to make sure she didn’t feel bad about herself.

“Thank you for lunch” Nicole’s tone softened as she motioned to her food. “I get so busy sometimes I forget to eat.”

“I know what you mean” Waverly laughed very softly as she gathered up another bite on her fork. “Sometimes I am stacked back to back with appointments.”

“What made you go into addiction psychology?” Nicole suddenly changed the subject.

Waverly hadn’t expected that and it showed as much on her face. She blinked just once as she processed the question. After a moment of thought about it she gave her head a shake “I guess I liked how different every case could be.”

“You’re lying” Nicole’s eyebrows creased in disappointment.

“No I’m-”

“Don’t insult me by denying it” Nicole lifted her hand to stop Waverly from continuing. “You started your answer with I guess and you do not strike me as the type of woman who guesses anything.”

Waverly threw her hand out to the side and stared at Nicole with her mouth hanging agape. She blinked a few times then let out a huff before her head shook and she looked down almost guiltily at her food “You’re nosy.”

Nicole snorted out a laugh as she set her plate of food down. She leaned forward in her chair and set her eyes on the woman across from her. She stared at her seriously before giving her head a little shake “This isn’t going to work if you refuse to talk about anything real with me.”

“What isn’t going to work, Nicole?” Waverly snapped unnecessarily but she felt like she had been backed into a corner by the woman.

“You know what?” Nicole stood now and moved around her desk quickly. She pulled open her door and swept her arm toward the opening to indicate that she wanted Waverly to leave. “We can just be colleagues. We don’t have to be friends. I’ll be polite when I see you but that’s it.”

Waverly looked absolutely appalled that Nicole had the audacity to kick her out. She gasped and fluttered her eyes in a few quick blinks as she focused on what was happening. She grunted out a breath before she stood from the chair like a shot. She tossed her plate of food onto the desk and turned toward the door “You are so full of yourself.”

“And you’re spoiled” Nicole barked as the woman stormed by her.

The words Nicole said to her caused Waverly to pause in her tracks. She whipped back around to face her, narrowing her eyes in an intimidating glare, as her hand lifted to point at the woman “You have no right to assume you know anything about my life.”

“As you keep reminding me” Nicole shook her head and motioned with her hand as if telling Waverly to go. “You keep all that shit bottled up and you’re going to die sad and alone.”

Waverly let out a horrified gasp now. There was no denying that she was completely offended. Her head gave a shake as her eyes took in the woman who was absolutely infuriating to be around. She was sure that if she could go the rest of her life without seeing her again she would be happy. She stomped a foot and whirled back around so she could continue storming away from the situation.

Nicole watched her go until she was out of sight. She then softened the defensive stance she had taken and let out a sigh. When she turned around and saw all the receptionists and assistants in the area were staring at her she rolled her eyes. This was the worst possible impression she could have made during her first week. She was sure she would never live this down.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.


	2. Just about the time the shadows call

Nicole paused just inside her office door the next morning. Her eyes widened and she stared completely stunned at what she saw waiting for her. On her desk was a huge bouquet of flowers with numerous balloons affixed to the basket they were in. She blinked just once before moving over to her desk almost cautiously. She slid her messenger bag off her shoulder, setting it in one of the chairs in front of her desk, as she reached for the card stuck prominently on the front of the basket. 

“You’re right about everything. I’m ready to talk if you still want to listen…” She read the card out loud. She looked astounded as her eyes focused on the words. This was the last thing she had ever expected considering the blow up the day prior. Her head gave a shake and as she dropped the card and looked back at the flowers a soft laugh escaped her lips “You are anything but boring. I’ll give you that much, Waverly Earp.”

She leaned in and smelled one of the yellow flowers at the top of the bundle. She then pulled back and made a face because, well, it did not smell that great. It looked pretty, though. She then lifted her hand to poke one of the balloons floating near her head. She was beside herself. For the first time in a long time she was speechless.

She glanced at her watch and saw she still had twenty minutes before her first appointment. She quickly picked one of the flowers, a pink one, before turning and hurrying from the room. She made her way through the building to the other end rather quickly. When she came around the corner and saw Waverly’s assistant at his desk she motioned to the closed office door “She busy?”

Jeremy smiled and gave a quick shake of his head “She told me you might be coming. Go right in.”

For some reason the idea that Waverly was expecting her made her heart flutter. The stubborn woman who had berated her the day before had held out hope that she would be forgiving enough to come by. She liked that quality in a person. Hopefulness, that was. She definitely didn’t like the yelling.

“Hey” Nicole walked right in without hesitation now. When she saw relief immediately flood Waverly’s face she let out a soft laugh and motioned to the flower she held “You took a huge risk with these. I could be allergic for all you know.”

“Oh my god. Are you?” Worried filled all of Waverly’s features.

“No” Nicole smirked because she thought she was hilarious. She also liked how concerned Waverly was in the moment. It meant she cared. She moved over to the desk now and let out a heavy sigh as she twirled the flower between her fingers “I want you to know I am still willing to listen.”

“Oh good” Waverly sighed out in relief and stood from where she had been sitting at her desk. “Because I really have treated you unfairly and maybe you are right. Maybe I do need someone to talk to.”

“Under one condition” Nicole lifted a single finger as if to emphasize the point.

“Name it” Waverly nodded seriously. She wanted her to know she was sincere about this.

“No more yelling?” Nicole motioned behind her to indicate the scene that had unfolded yesterday. “No more pushing me away” She added with a nod. “I know you’re scared and I won’t push you to talk about something you aren’t ready to discuss but you can’t take your fear out on me, okay?” 

Waverly looked guilty as she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and gave a nod.

“I think you need a friend” Nicole spoke more softly now as her hand reached out to gently push some of Waverly’s hair behind her ear. She then moved to tuck the stem of the flower she held behind the same ear. She smiled at the sight before her eyes focused back on Waverly gently. Her thumb slowly fell away from her ear and slid along her jaw for just a moment before dropping away from the woman completely “I think I make a pretty good friend.”

The touch of Nicole’s hand, the delicate way she looked at her, and the soft tone with which she spoke absolutely decimated Waverly’s usually strong constitution. She felt goosebumps riddle the skin from her ear to her shoulder on that side of her face. She had to reach out and put a hand on her desk to steady herself because she felt like her knees were about to buckle beneath her. Her eyes fluttered as she tried to focus on Nicole standing in front of her. She managed a nod as a response but that was the only function she had control over as everything else melted away.

“Cool” Nicole’s tone remained soft. A smirk rose on her lips because she could see that Waverly was having a hard time pulling herself together. Her eyes flickered over the woman just once more before she backed away from her. “I’ll see you tonight, then.” Her hand lifted and she gave a flick of a wave before turning and sweeping out of the room without another word.

Waverly pulled in a gasping breath as soon as Nicole was gone. Her heart was racing and she had not realized that the woman had literally taken her breath away. She lifted a trembling hand to the still tingling skin on her jaw where Nicole’s finger had grazed her. She gave a shake of her head to try and clear a little bit of the fog that had settled in over her brain. Nicole was one of the most intriguing people she had ever met and it hadn’t been until that very moment that she realized there was an undeniable force drawing them together. She wondered now just what might come of that.

~.~.~.~.~.~.

Waverly perked an eyebrow as she pulled up to the address she had been given by Nicole. She double checked that she had put it into her GPS correctly. Once she confirmed she was in the right place she turned off her car and stared at the building. She gave it a moment of assessment before she finally let out a laugh and pushed her car door open “Of course.”

She made her way to the door and reached for the doorbell as soon as she stepped up the last of a couple dozen stairs. She then stepped back and looked around where she stood. The view was amazing. A smile came to her lips at the thought. If dinner was terrible at least she had a good view to look at all night.

“You made it” Nicole pulled her front door open and greeted Waverly with a smile. She was dressed in a nice pair of red skinny jeans and a red and white checkered button up that had the sleeves rolled up her elbows. Her hair was down, as always, and she quickly stepped aside to allow Waverly room to step inside “Did you find it alright?”

“No problem at all” Waverly gave a nod as she stepped inside. She had opted for a more casual look than what she usually wore to work but she still looked nice. She wore a pair of blue capris with a yellow floral print and a matching pale yellow sleeveless, ruffled blouse. Her hair was hanging loosely around her shoulders and down her back. Behind her ear was the same pink flower Nicole had tucked there earlier in the day.

An eyebrow arched on Nicole’s forehead when she noticed the flower Waverly was still wearing. That meant the woman had consciously put it there after going home to change her clothes after work. She wondered what exactly that gesture meant. That was a question for another time, though. She motioned into her home as she closed the door behind Waverly “Please, make yourself comfortable.”

“I had no idea you meant you’d be cooking for me when you asked me to dinner” Waverly laughed softly as she walked deeper into Nicole’s home. Her eyes flickered this way and that, taking in all the details she could, before she slowly turned around to look at the other woman.

“The way I see it” Nicole shrugged as she moved toward where Waverly had paused just behind her couch “The last thing either of us need after a stressful day is to be surrounded by more noise. Restaurants tend to be loud” She motioned around her home then looked to Waverly with a nod “Here you can truly relax.”

Waverly gave a few slow nods as an amused smile crept over her lips. She had to hand it to Nicole; the girl was definitely smooth. She also couldn’t argue with her logic. If she was being honest she was relieved. This was a much more favorable environment. “Well then how about a tour?”

Nicole laughed very softly and gave a shake of her head as she motioned in a sweeping circle with one of her arms “You are welcome to show yourself around. I have to get back to the kitchen.”

“Later, then” Waverly pointed at Nicole with a firm look before smiling at her. “This place is huge.”

“I wasn’t sure I even wanted the place” Nicole admitted as she motioned for Waverly to follow before she headed into the kitchen. The floor plan was fairly open so there wasn’t really a wall between the kitchen and living room. It was more like a half wall that could double as a countertop. “But it was one of the only places I could find last minute” She continued as she moved over to the stove to check on what was already cooking.

“Last minute?” Waverly perked an eyebrow as she leaned into the island counter in the middle of her spacious kitchen.

“When I put in for the job they already had a few other candidates” Nicole turned toward the island and reached for the knife she had been using to chop vegetables when Waverly had arrived. “They wanted me to start as soon as possible so I had to agree pretty much on the spot.” She shrugged and dropped her eyes to focus on what she was doing.

“So you just packed up and left your life behind?” Waverly shook her head at the idea. That seemed nearly impossible for her to be able to do.

“No life” Nicole glanced up between chops and gave Waverly a smile. “No wife, no kids, no family…” She shrugged and looked back at the cutting board “My cat wasn’t really happy about it but I think she will adjust.” She laughed and glanced back up for a moment.

Waverly’s eyes fluttered in surprise as she tried to wrap her head around all of the information she had just received. She shook her head slightly and let out a breath of a laugh “Wait, back up. You had absolutely nothing worth staying for?”

Nicole just gave a shake of her head. When she looked up and saw that Waverly looked surprised she let out a laugh “Why is that so hard to believe?”

“I don’t…” Waverly paused and thought about it. She just gave a shrug at herself and let out a slight laugh “I’ve grown up here. I am familiar with the entire city. I run into people I know everywhere I go. I guess I just assumed you came from a similar background.”

“For someone who has studied the very basics of the human condition I’m surprised you are the type to make assumptions” Nicole smirked in amusement before turning around to pour the vegetables she had chopped into a pan.

“It is a really bad habit” Waverly admitted with a shrug. “I assume I know everything about a person after just a few minutes of talking to them.”

“Arrogant” Nicole looked over her shoulder with a smirk before looking back to the pan she was working the vegetables around in.

“I’m usually right” Waverly lifted a finger as if making a fair point.

Nicole just laughed at that. She had no doubt that the woman probably was right a lot of the time. She stirred around the vegetables for a moment before she glanced back over her shoulder at her “Is it safe to assume you had thought you had me figured out that first day?”

Waverly bit her lip with a guilty look on her face.

Nicole gave a nod and a laugh before looking back to what she was doing. “I am going to guess I have proved you wrong in that assumption or you wouldn’t be here tonight.”

“You are kind of a know-it-all” Waverly smiled as her eyes focused on Nicole’s back. She wouldn’t admit it but she liked that Nicole was not afraid to call her out. No one in her life had ever been so brazen.

“You’re used to being the smartest person in the room” Nicole glanced over her shoulder again and although she had put it as a statement the perked eyebrow on her forehead seemed to challenge Waverly to say she was wrong.

“I usually am” Waverly admitted with a nod. She bit her lip slightly and her eyes fell from Nicole for the first time since entering the kitchen. She looked at her hands that were resting on the top of the island where she was leaning and let out a sigh. She knew she was kind of a hard person to be around sometimes. She usually hated when people pointed out that she was wrong but for some reason Nicole doing it didn’t seem to bother her. Maybe because as Nicole exposed each different trait about her she did so in a way that made her feel understood instead of judged.

Nicole turned around holding the utensil she had been stirring the vegetables with in her hand. She lifted it up to show there was a small bite sitting on it. She held her other hand below it to prevent dripping as she offered it out toward the other woman “Wanna try it?”

The gesture was adorable and the smile that spread on Waverly’s face said as much. She gave a quick nod and moved around the island toward where Nicole stood. She lifted on her toes as Nicole brought the spoon down to her mouth. She slowly blew on the steaming bit of food and once she was confident it wasn’t too hot she gently took the offered bite from the spoon.

Nicole perked an eyebrow as she watched Waverly take the bite. She stared a little too much at the woman’s mouth as she pursed her lips out while blowing on the food. She noticed the quickly flash of a tongue that swept the flavor from Waverly’s lips as she chewed the bite. She blinked a few times to try and shake away the stirring that rose in her stomach before turning back to the stove “How is it?”

“Wow” Waverly gave a nod of liking as she chewed and swallowed the food. She smiled and once her mouth was cleared she stepped toward the stove to get a look at what Nicole had going on. She saw a few different pans and she motioned to it now “This is all pretty impressive. Do you cook a lot?”

“All the time” Nicole glanced at Waverly beside her and drew in a deep breath to try and steady herself. The last thing she needed to do was find herself attracted to the woman standing in her kitchen. She didn’t know everything going on in Waverly’s life but she knew she had enough on her plate that any sort of romance was probably the very last thing she needed.

“I wish I had more time to cook but I’m always at the office so late” Waverly let out a sigh as she brought her eyes back to Nicole. “How do you find the time?”

“I make time” Nicole nodded as she started flipping nobs to shut off the stove. She then moved to the cupboard and started to dig out some plates. “I don’t schedule late appointments and I always make sure to leave early enough to have time to unwind.”

“Sounds nice. I wish I could do that” Waverly let out a sigh.

“You can” Nicole laughed out very softly before handing a plate to Waverly. She then motioned to the stove and gave a nod. “Help yourself. I hope you like stir-fry.”

“It’s one of my favorites” Waverly’s smile brightened as she turned to the stove. She reached for the utensil that had been left behind in the pan and started to dish herself some. “And there is no way I could do that.”

“You make your own hours” Nicole shrugged as she watched Waverly make herself a plate. “I think it’s less about can’t and more about not wanting to.”

Waverly opened her mouth to argue but stopped because, well, Nicole was right. She let out a sigh then handed the utensil over to the other woman before stepping away to make room for her to get some food as well. “I guess I’ve never thought about it that way before. But I don’t think I would feel as fulfilled if my days weren’t as packed full of appointments as possible.”

“Why?” Nicone’s tone showed she was genuinely interested in the answer.

Waverly just shrugged. She set her plate on the island countertop and stared at the steam coming off the food. She was so used to being so busy with other people’s problems that she never stopped to think about taking care of her own.

“No not here” Nicole shook her head when she turned around and saw Waverly at her plate set on the island. She grabbed the forks and cloth napkins she had pulled out earlier and then motioned for Waverly to follow her. They were quiet as Nicole led them through her home. They moved through the living room, passed the dining room table, and out onto the back patio. She set her plate down once they reached the table out there before motioning for Waverly to have a seat.

Waverly set her plate down but did not sit. Her eyes fell upon the view from the patio and she felt her breath hitch in her throat. She put a hand over her heart as her eyes scanned the horizon and after a few moments she looked at Nicole in awe “It’s beautiful.”

“That’s why I wanted to eat out here” Nicole nodded in agreement before taking a seat. She set a napkin and fork near Waverly’s plate before settling back in her chair. She smiled as she watched the woman taking in the view. The sun was starting to set and the soft glow of the remaining sunlight was lighting Waverly in such a way that made the view of the city below pale in comparison.

Waverly took another moment to soak in the view before she turned back to the table. That is when she noticed Nicole’s soft gaze on her. She immediately felt herself blush slightly as her eyes fell to her food and she moved to the table. She pulled out her chair and slid in before reaching for her fork. She cleared her throat as she felt her blush fade and lifted her eyes back to Nicole “I have to admit you have already far exceeded my expectations.”

A soft laugh escaped Nicole’s lips as she poked at her food “In general or for tonight?”

“All of it” Waverly nodded as her eyes fell to her plate again. “When I first met you I thought you were an arrogant ass.”

“I can be” Nicole nodded before lifting her fork to her mouth. She paused and used the forkful of food to point at Waverly with a smirk “I think you can be, too.”

“I think I am a little more polite about it” Waverly huffed as she gathered a bite on her fork now. “I most definitely don’t purposely do things to annoy someone.”

“Like what?” Nicole gasped at the accusation before she stuffed the fork in her mouth.

“Using my coffee mug!” Waverly flung her hand out to the side in a motion that indicated that very action even though they were nowhere near their office building.

Nicole shook her head feverishly as she chewed the food in her mouth. She held her hand up to indicate she did not want Waverly to say anything while she tried to swallow. Once she was able to do so she let out a soft laugh “I asked if there were assigned mugs and I was told they were for everyone to use. No one told me it was the one you liked.”

“I highly doubt that” Waverly mumbled with amusement in her tone as she took a bite.

“Think what you like about me but don’t mistake me for someone who lies” Nicole’s tone was a little more serious as she looked back to her food.

"Oh I'm sorry" Waverly shook her head and reached her hand out to touch gently against Nicole's arm. "I was teasing. I really don't think you did that maliciously."

Nicole looked at where Waverly touched her hand. She smiled very slightly before lifting her eyes to meet her gaze. She gave a little nod before pulling her hand away and motioning to her "How's your food?" 

Waverly perked an eyebrow at the sudden change of subject. She slowly pulled her hand back and looked at her food. She gave a nod as she lifted her fork again "It's great. Thank you."

"I wasn't sure what you liked. I didn't add any meat because I remember not seeing any included in the lunch you brought in yesterday so I opted to go vegetarian" Nicole motioned to her food and gave a nod.

"You're very observant" Waverly looked at her food again. She was quiet as she gathered another bite. Unable to shake the feeling she had upset Nicole she sighed and looked back up "Why do you change subjects so quickly?"

Nicole shrugged and gave the woman a curious look "I don't like to dwell. You apologized and I moved on."

Waverly just gave a nod to that. It made sense and was actually a healthy thing to do. It was also a rare trait. She smiled to herself about that fact. Nicole was definitely an interesting person.

A silence fell between them as they ate. It was surprisingly not awkward. The evening air was crisp but not chilly. The house was perched on a hill and away from the road so it was pretty quiet. It made for a lovely atmosphere.

Nicole finished first and as she set her fork on her empty plate she cleared her throat. She looked at Waverly across from her and a smile slowly moved over her lips. She wondered if the woman knew how beautiful she was. "Am I allowed to ask you personal questions yet?"

"You've always been allowed" Waverly laughed very softly as she pushed her own plate away. "I've just not been very accommodating when it comes to answering them."

"I recall the yelling" Nicole agreed with a soft laugh.

"Have I apologized for that?" Waverly looked guilty as she bit her lip and batted her eyes.

"Adequately" Nicole laughed as she got up from the table. She reached out toward Waverly and motioned with her head to indicate she wanted the woman to come with her "I'd like to show you something."

This surprised Waverly. She didn't hesitate in taking the offered hand, though. She slid her hand into Nicole's as she stood from her chair. She kept her eyes on the other woman curiously and gave a little nod to tell her to lead the way.

Nicole wrapped her hand gently around Waverly's before turning to head away from the table. She moved with purpose as she took her down the steps that led to her backyard. She didn't stop until they were at the base of the largest tree in her yard. Once they reached their destination she slowly turned to look at Waverly, a smile on her lips, as she motioned to the tree with the hand that was not still holding onto Waverly's "This is the only reason I decided to take this place."

A soft laugh sputtered from Waverly's lips because that had been the last thing she had expected. She eyed the tree for a moment before shaking her head and motioning behind her toward the house in the distance "The view? The open kitchen? All the space to do whatever you want?" She let out a soft laugh of disbelief "All of that and the tree sold you?"

Nicole smirked and pointed up.

Waverly followed the motion until she found what Nicole was referring to. She gasped in surprise then let out an amused little squeak as she looked back at Nicole "You have a treehouse?"

Nicole chuckled very softly and nodded proudly "Always wanted one."

"Have you gotten to sleep out in it yet? Or decorate it?" Waverly's excitement was boiling over at the thought. "Oh my god can I help paint it?"

Nicole was glad to see that Waverly seemed excited about the treehouse. She glanced upwards for a few seconds before nodding and looking back to Waverly "You can do whatever you like. There is one rule, though."

"No boys allowed?" Waverly asked playfully as she crinkled her nose slightly.

"Okay, two rules" Nicole smirked before looking up again. She drew in a deep breath then let it out slowly before looking back down at her guest "No dishonesty."

Waverly’s lips curled into a sideways smirk as her head gave a few big nods “I see what you did there.” She looked up again and looked like she was thinking hard about the rules. Truthfully she had no intention of being dishonest but she played it up at the moment and looked to Nicole with a sigh that sounded as though she was agreeing against her will just because she really wanted to go up into the treehouse “Well I guess I can handle that.”

A smirk came to Nicole’s lips as she moved around the tree to find the ladder she had stashed nearby. She propped it up against the tree and looked at Waverly with a soft laugh “You’re kind of dramatic.”

“I am not!” Waverly gasped playfully, really putting on a show now, before she stormed over to the ladder. She pretended to pout as she started to climb rung by rung toward the awaiting treehouse.

Nicole held the ladder steady and chuckled as she watched Waverly ascend into the tree. Soon the girl had pushed the door open and was safely inside. This was Nicole’s cue to join her and she made quick work of climbing up the ladder as well. As she hoisted herself through the door in the floor of the treehouse she smiled as her eyes fell on a very awe struck looking Waverly. She brushed off her hands as she stood and gave a shrug as she looked around “What do you think?”

“I think I wish I’d lived here when I was ten” Waverly laughed as she spun in a slow circle to take it all in. Even though they were both two full grown adults they were able to stand upright without having to duck. The treehouse offered an even better view of the cityscape below them. There was enough room for four people to sleep comfortably. She gave her head an unbelieving shake and looked back at Nicole with a genuinely impressed smile on her lips “This is awesome.”

“Whoever owns this house definitely likes their space” Nicole nodded in agreement as she looked around for a moment. She then motioned to one of the corners were two small bean bags were sitting and gave the other woman a soft smile “Wanna sit down?”

“You mean you’re renting?” Waverly looked surprised as she moved to one of the bean bags and took a seat.

“For now” Nicole confirmed as she took a seat in the other bean bag. “Like I said, this was all kind of a last minute thing. I didn’t have a lot of time to look around. I most definitely wouldn’t want to live in a place this big forever.”

“Why not?” Waverly motioned vaguely around where they sat “This treehouse alone is worth it.”

Nicole just laughed as she glanced around too. It was nice. It was pretty much any young child’s dream. But it wasn’t really her style. She shrugged as she looked back at Waverly now “Too flashy. Too big. It’s just…” She shook her head at all of it “It’s way more than I want or need in life.”

“What do you want?” Waverly asked softly almost like she were afraid the question crossed the line.

Nicole gave the girl a soft smile as her head shook “You are very good at not talking about yourself.”

Waverly bit her lip to fight a smile “I was not doing it on purpose this time. I am genuinely curious about you.”

“But I have a feeling you’d be able to get me to talk about myself all night and once more avoid telling me anything real about yourself” Nicole let out a very soft laugh. When she saw Waverly was going to retort she held a hand up to stop her before she added “So for every question you ask me I get to ask you one in return. Back and forth so you can’t avoid it all night.”

Waverly gave a very slow nod of her head. She thought it over for just a few moments before a smile finally came over her lips and she relented a soft sigh “Okay, deal. So what do you want in life?” 

“To help people” Nicole spoke plainly. She then motioned to Waverly “Why did you decide to focus on addiction?”

Waverly looked a little surprised at how quickly Nicole switched topics again. She wanted to point it out but they had made a deal. So she took a few moments to think about her answer. She knew her answer but she wasn’t sure she could be that honest with a near stranger. She gave her head a little shake and finally let out a heavy sigh “There’s a history of it in my family.”

Nicole gave a single nod. She didn’t say anything. She just gave a smile and motioned to Waverly "Your turn."

"What? No follow up question?" Waverly laughed softly at that. Nicole had been asking questions all night but now she was suddenly out of them? 

"I'm following the rules. Back and forth questions" Nicole let out a breath of a laugh. 

"You like rules, don't you?" Waverly's smile didn't fade. She was growing more intrigued by Nicole with each passing moment. 

"Is that my question?" Nicole asked with a teasing smirk on her face to show that she was being a smartass now. Before Waverly could huff at her she gave a slight nod "Yes, I like rules. I believe they are there for a reason."

"Do you ever break the rules?" Waverly's eyebrow arched curiously now. 

"I can see you do" Nicole motioned with a laugh to the fact that she had just been asked two questions in a row. "Yes, I do break the rules every now and then." Her eyes had yet to leave Waverly since they had sat down and with each passing second her gaze got softer. "When's the last time you did something completely and selfishly for you and only you?"

The tone of the question was a bit more serious and it caused Waverly's eyelids to flutter a few times. The way Nicole was looking at her so intently made her think the question was deeper than it seemed. She felt her stomach knot and she wasn't sure if it was nervousness because of how Nicole was looking at her or if it was guilt because of her answer. She drew in a deep breath and shook her head as she spoke "When I kicked my sister out of my house."

Though Nicole had not expected that answer she had also not been surprised by it. Waverly seemed like the type to do everything for everyone else before taking any time for herself. Nicole let out a sigh and reached for the other girl's hand "I have a feeling that wasn't completely selfish."

Waverly just shrugged and looked at where Nicole held her hand gently. She bit her lip to try and fight off the sensations the gesture was sending through her entire arm. She pulled in a deep breath and finally looked up with a shrug "I did tell her she couldn't come back until she completed rehab."

There was a flicker in Waverly's eyes when she spoke about her sister going to rehab and it said more to Nicole than the words did. There was guilt, shame, and disappointment behind her eyes. All of those things she felt toward herself and not her sister. This caused Nicole to let out a very heavy sigh as her other hand reached out to gently rest on Waverly's knee "It’s not your fault."

"I know" Waverly gave a quick shake of her head. Where she would have shut down before she now seemed willing to open up. "But I thought if I studied it and became an expert on it than I could help her."

"Waverly…" Nicole breathed the name out softly as a frown took over her features. She shifted just enough to sit side by side with her before sliding her arm around her shoulders. "You and I both know that you can't help someone who doesn't want it."

"I know" Waverly gave a quick nod and drew in a sharp breath to keep the tears at bay. She looked at where her hands sat in her lap now and shook her head "I guess a part of me thought that somewhere deep down she loved me more than she loved the drugs."

"She probably does" Nicole flinched the shoulder not closest to Waverly into a shrug. "But she doesn't love herself. No matter how much love and support she has nothing will help her until she wants to help herself."

Waverly let out a breath of a laugh as a single tear slid from her eye. She glanced at Nicole next to her and nodded just once "I know all of this and yet I think I was in denial about my own situation. Which, ironically, I deal with a lot in my patients."

"Sometimes we need a completely outside perspective to confirm what we already knew was true" Nicole smiled very softly as her finger swiped across Waverly's cheek to brush away the tear that had fallen. 

The way that Nicole's kind eyes settled on Waverly in that moment sent a chill racing through her. She wasn’t sure she had ever met anyone who was so genuinely caring. Seeing how deeply the woman cared for her in that moment did something to her that she was not quite sure she understood. Her head gave a shake at the thought before she dropped her eyes away from the intense gaze and let out a sigh "Why are you being so nice to me?"

“Because you seemed to need it” Nicole shrugged as if that should have been obvious. “Because I am just a nice person, despite what you might have first thought about me” She let out a laugh at that because they both knew they had gotten off to a rocky start. “Because…” She reached out now and tucked her fingers under Waverly’s chin. She lifted gently until she brought her eyes up to meet with her own. Her tone dropped into a near whisper as she spoke more seriously now “Because knowing I’ve helped you smile means the world to me.”

The way Nicole’s eyes seemed to be looking right into her soul dismantled all of Waverly’s defenses. Nicole’s gaze was soft but strong, holding certainty and honesty that cemented the words she spoke. Waverly was helpless to do anything but stare back at the woman. She froze and for just a few seconds she didn’t feel anything but a curious heat surging through her body. What Nicole was doing to her was something she wasn’t sure she could ever really grasp. It was all so unexpected.

Seeing that Waverly looked a little bit like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car, Nicole cleared her throat and let her hand slide away from where she was holding up her chin. Her smile never wavered as her head motioned now toward the door in the floor of the treehouse “How about we climb down and call it a night? It’s getting late.”

“Yeah” Waverly mumbled. It was as if Nicole’s words managed to shake her out of her static state and she blinked to bring herself back to the moment. She gave a quick nod of her head as feeling returned to her limbs and a smile flickered over her lips “Yeah, totally. It is getting late.”

Nicole let out a very soft laugh at Waverly’s response. She wasn’t sure if what she had said had made Waverly uncomfortable or not but she figured calling it a night before that happened was probably a good idea. So without another word she pulled open the floor board door and made her way down the ladder. Once she was planted on the grass below she looked back up into the tree and gave Waverly a wave of her hand to motion her to follow “I’ll be right here if you fall.”

Waverly bit her lip at the words Nicole spoke. It was such a natural gesture to stand at the base of a ladder to make sure the person climbing it was safe but for some reason the words hit her differently now. Was it the way Nicole spoke so gently to her or her unwavering urge to listen to whatever Waverly had going on? Maybe it was the way Nicole touched her with such care and tenderness. She couldn’t pin it down. All she really knew was there was something inside Nicole that was touching the very core of her and she didn’t really know how to handle that.

She tried to shake the thought off as she climbed down the ladder slowly. She had to pull herself together. She had so much going on and Nicole was being surprisingly patient with her. The woman didn’t know her or owe her anything and yet she seemed more than invested in it all already. She wondered if Nicole was like this for everyone she met or if there was something specifically special about herself that drew Nicole in.

The thought went out the window as she felt Nicole’s strong hands grip around her waist. She only had a few rungs left to descend, certain a fall from that height would not cause any harm, and yet Nicole had taken it upon herself to reach up and support her weight just in case she slipped.

Her heart fluttered through every single one of the last few steps she took down the ladder. When her feet hit the grass and she turned to look at Nicole, who still had her hands firmly on her hips for safety, she realized they were now only mere inches apart. Her breath caught in her throat as the moonlight that lit the entire backyard flowed down over Nicole, illuminating her from behind and giving her a near angelic glow. Again all she could manage to do was stare at the woman. Every other function of her body seemed to cease including her breathing and heartbeat.

Nicole again saw the way Waverly froze in that moment. She once more thought she had crossed a line by touching her. It had been an honest attempt to help the woman to the ground safely. She was a physical therapist, she supported people’s movements all day long. It had been a reflex more than anything. But the way Waverly stared at her now, unmoving, unblinking, she felt like she might have offended her. So she quickly pulled her hands off of the shorter woman and gave an almost nervous sounding laugh “You have pretty good balance.”

Once more Nicole’s voice shook Waverly out of her stupor. She blinked and stepped back from Nicole as a laugh left her lips. She looked at her feet, rocked up onto her toes for a moment, before coming back down and lifting her eyes to Nicole. She gave an overly enthusiastic shrug “Yep! Must be all the ballet I did as a kid!”

“Oh you did ballet?” Nicole was grateful for the subject change. She was also surprised. She had no idea why the thought of Waverly doing ballet surprised her. It just did. “I bet that was fun.”

“It was terribly bland and way too strict. I mean, I was six!” Waverly let out a genuine laugh now and shook her head in amusement. She then gave a wave of her hand across herself and shrugged it off “Anyway that’s a tale for another day. It’s getting late, remember?”

“Totally” Nicole’s smile returned to her face now as the bouncy woman standing in her backyard seemed to be back from whatever petrified state her touch had sent her into. “So” Nicole motioned for Waverly to head toward the house and they fell in step side by side as they moved across the yard “I want you to do me a favor this week.”

“I’ve known you for like three days and you are already asking for a favor?” Waverly gave the girl a playfully skeptical look “I knew you had something up your sleeve. Nothing comes for free with you, huh?”

Nicole smirked at the teasing Waverly had slipped into. She wondered if it was a defense mechanism to make her feel less awkward about how uncomfortable Nicole had made her feel or if it was a sign that she was opening up to her a bit more. She shook the thought off for now and gave a nod “You’re right. I’ve been scamming you to earn a favor this entire time.”

“Pfft, typical” Waverly rolled her eyes playfully as they made their way back up the steps that led to the back porch. She waited for Nicole at the top of the stairs before they continued inside “No promises but what is the favor?”

“This one is a painless one” Nicole assured her as they moved to the front door. She paused after pulling it open and her amused smile faded slightly. It was replaced with a softer one, a more genuine one, and when she spoke it was with a tender seriousness “I want you to do something selfish this week. Just one thing that is completely for you and only you. Don’t think about how other people will feel or react.”

“But I don’t know-”

Nicole lifted her hand in a motion to stop the excuse that was coming from Waverly. She gave a single nod at the woman “When I said I wanted you to do something selfish this week there was something that came to mind immediately. I want you to do that.”

Waverly bit her lip. She wondered how in the world Nicole could have known that something had come to her mind. Either she was far too easy to read or Nicole could read minds. She shook the thought away and focused back on the taller woman looking down at her patiently. Finally, she relented out a sigh and offered a nod of her head “But what if the timing isn’t right?”

“Make it right” Nicole’s smile grew when Waverly gave in and agreed to her favor.

Waverly looked Nicole over just once before bringing her eyes back up to meet her steady gaze. She thought it over for a few moments before once more giving in with a nod and a sigh “Then what?”

“Well that depends” Nicole let out a soft laugh. “If you do something that is completely selfish without concern for anyone else then I think you might realize it can be a good thing.”

“Okay?” Waverly breathed out a laugh of her own. Nicole’s excitement was contagious.

“Then maybe you’ll start doing it more often and your life will be a little more fulfilling on a personal level” Nicole shrugged as if that should have been completely obvious.

“But I don’t want to be a selfish person” Waverly frowned at the idea.

“Making a few selfish decisions will not make you a selfish person” Nicole reached out to give Waverly a comforting touch on the shoulder without thinking about it. As her hand came to rest there she suddenly realized that touching Waverly seemed to make her uncomfortable so she pulled her hand back and ran it through her short, wavy red hair “Just try it, okay?”

Waverly perked an eyebrow as her eyes followed the path of Nicole’s hand as it quickly pulled away from her. That was curious. She wondered if she had done something to offend her. She blinked a few times in an attempt to push the thought away before she focused back on the woman in front of her “Fine. I’ll try it.”

“I’m glad to hear it” Nicole gave a happy nod then stepped out of the way of the door that she had been leaning against as a way of holding it open. She gave a motion for Waverly to leave, if she so pleased, as her head bounced in another nod “I’ll see you at work, okay?”

“Totally” Waverly’s eyebrow remained arched curiously at the way Nicole seemed to be rushing Waverly out of the house now. She again started to wonder what she had done to cause this reaction. Up until just a few minutes prior they had been having a lovely night. She would most definitely be replaying this in her head all night to try and analyze what went wrong.

“Have a good night” Nicole called down to Waverly from her front porch as she watched the woman move toward her car. She watched her until she got in and started the engine. She then gave one last wave and stepped back inside her house. She pressed the door closed and immediately fell back to lean against it. Her eyes closed and she let out a long breath through her lips that caused them to sputter slightly. Her head shook and as her eyes came open she lifted her hands to look at them as if they had betrayed her. “Cool it, will you?” She hissed at her own extremities before letting them drop. Her head fell back against the door with a soft thud and her eyes closed again. She could not start liking Waverly. She could not form a crush on her. She simply could not. She had too much going on with her sister. Nicole was new to town and the last thing she needed to do was get involved with someone who was obviously emotionally unavailable. She had to pull herself together. She had to break old habits. Falling for the wrong girl was her biggest vice and she felt herself slipping into it again.

~.~.~.~.~.~.

When Waverly walked into her office early the next morning she was surprised to see a vase of flowers sitting on her desk. She had arrived before everyone else so she wondered how they had gotten into her office. She perked an eyebrow at the thought as she slowly approached the brightly colored bundle. She reached for the card that was placed prominently front and center of the bouquet and slid it out of it’s small envelope. The message was hand-written which immediately made her smile. Most flower cards were typed out and felt so impersonal.

_The Gladiolus flower symbolizes strength of character. The Anthurium means happiness. The Daffodil symbolizes selfishness. All of these are beautiful. Don’t be afraid to bloom just because you think someone will see you as ugly._

_-Nicole_

Waverly’s heart fluttered as she read the note. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the words she had read or because of the person who had written them. Maybe it was the symbolism. Perhaps it was all of it combined. All she knew was that she had left Nicole’s the night before unable to keep her mind off of the moments they had shared. As she picked every interaction apart and replayed it over and over again she had come to one conclusion: It had been an incredible time. She had decided she wanted more nights like that with Nicole. Maybe the simple idea of Nicole is what had really caused her heart to dance about just then. 

She shook her head at the thought as a smile slowly grew across her lips. She glanced at the clock on her wall and realized that Nicole would probably be arriving for work soon. She wanted to make sure to be there to tell her she appreciated the flowers. She also just kind of wanted to see Nicole before she started her long day. 

She left her office and gave her assistant, who was just arriving, a wave as she passed him on her way down the hallway toward the other end of the building. A few other people had arrived but it was still fairly quiet. She knew she would have time for a little chat, maybe even some coffee, before patients started to arrive. Her heart once more gave an excited flinch. She had never anticipated seeing someone as much as she was in that very moment. It was a completely new feeling to her.

When she reached Nicole’s office she grabbed the doorknob and turned it to open the door. Her momentum carried her forward but instead of sweeping gracefully into the office she crashed full body into the cloudy pane of glass that sat in the center of the wooden frame of the door. She bounced off the glass, stumbled backwards, and looked up at the door in confusion.

“Doctor Haught isn’t in today” A soft voice came from behind where Waverly stood completely stunned at what had just happened.

“Huh?” Waverly whirled around and blinked once to focus on the source of the voice.

A younger girl wearing a headset stood up from behind her desk and motioned to the door that Waverly had just bounced off “She does home visits on Fridays. She won’t be in at all.”

“Oh” Waverly looked from the girl to the door and back again. Then the words hit her and she let out a soft laugh at herself “Oh! Right.” She motioned to the door and then the girl and gave a sheepish smile “Today is Friday. I totally forgot!” She hadn’t forgotten. She had not known Nicole did not work in-office on Fridays. But she hoped she had played it off well.

“Do you want to leave a message?” Nicole’s assistant motioned to the pad of paper she was holding in her hand as if waiting to write something down.

“Oh, um, no thank you” Waverly held up her hands and gave them both a quick flick in an attempt at casually dismissing the offer. “I will just give her a ring from my phone” She motioned blindly over her shoulder to somewhere else. She looked the girl over once more then put on a forced smile. She started to back away from the awkward situation and before she knew what was happening both hands were lifting, her fingers forming into gun shapes, and she cocked them a few times at the girl “Have a good day!”

As she turned to flee the scene she realized what she had just done. She stared in horror at her fingers as she moved back toward her office in a hurry. She was mortified. The only solace she had was that the building was still fairly empty so hopefully no one she knew had seen the embarrassment that had just unfolded.

When she reached her office she closed the door behind herself and pressed her back against it tightly. She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. She needed to get a hold of herself. Nicole had her acting like a different person. It was terrifying and exhilarating all at once. But she also had to be careful. She still had to focus on her sister. Maybe she should do that first and worry about Nicole later.

Then again she had been given an assignment that week and if there was one thing Waverly Earp loved it was an assignment. She knew she wouldn’t be able to concentrate on anything else until she fulfilled the favor she had been asked. She would do that first so she could get on with more important things. She had a feeling, though, this favor held more importance than she had yet to realize.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.


	3. You take more than just my sanity

“Okay, so, here’s the thing-” Waverly had marched into Nicole’s office without knocking and launched right into the speech she had been practicing all weekend. She stopped just a few steps into the room and her eyes went wide when she was greeted by a sight she had not been expecting. Nicole was standing behind her desk wearing only a light blue bra. At least that is all Waverly could see. The woman could have been wearing pants but the desk was blocking her bottom half. That didn’t matter, though, because Waverly stood frozen in place, unable to take her eyes off Nicole’s exposed torso.

“I really hope bursting in on someone changing was not your act of selfishness” Nicole laughed very calmly in an attempt to break the immediate awkward tension that had fallen over the room.

“I am so sorry” Waverly’s eyes somehow got wider when she realized that Nicole had just called her out on her rude behavior. She did not turn away, though. She was physically unable to, it seemed. She just stood there, staring. Nicole was much more fit than Waverly had thought she would be. Not that she thought about it a lot. Maybe once or twice. That didn’t matter. It made sense that Nicole was fit. She was a physical therapist who obviously loved working out with her patients. 

“Is there an emergency I am unaware of?” Nicole, still in a calm demeanor, reached now for the mint green button up shirt that was hanging over the back of her desk chair. She slid her arms into it slowly as her lips curled into a smirk. Much like Waverly, she had yet to take her eyes off of the other woman in the room. She perked an eyebrow at the fact that Waverly had not turned away out of embarrassment at her own actions.

“No. I’m-” Waverly finally blinked. Her gaze moved once more over the still slightly exposed stomach of Nicole before she closed her eyes and dropped her chin. “I am so sorry. I should have knocked. I just had this whole…” She flicked her hands around in quick circles near her ears and shook her head as she looked up again “....I had a lot I wanted to say without being interrupted.”

“I know you don’t know me well but I think you know me well enough to know that I am a great listener” Nicole laughed very lightly as she finished the last of the buttons on her shirt. She then extended her left arm out straight as her right hand reached for the cuff of her sleeve. She still stared unblinkingly at Waverly as she started to roll the material up her arm. “You have my attention. What’s on your mind?”

“I..” Waverly bit her lip as her eyes traveled over Nicole again. She felt her heart flutter and suddenly the speech she had practiced all weekend left her mind. She hated that Nicole had this impact on her. She was usually so put together, well spoken, and sure of mind. That all disappeared whenever she was near Nicole. It was frustrating. It was also thrilling.

Nicole laughed again as her hands switched and she now started to fold up her right sleeve “You. I got it. What’s next?” She was being a little bit of a smart ass but Waverly was making it so easy.

“I’m sorry. Walking in here and seeing you…” Waverly motioned up and down the length of Nicole’s body with a single finger before shaking her head. “It threw me off. I was not expecting that.”

“Expecting what?” Nicole looked down at her shirt as a hand smoothed over it. “The nicely pressed button up? Because I wear these almost every day.” She knew that was not what Waverly had meant. When she got a snort as an answer her smirk only grew “Or were you not expecting the abs?” She motioned to her stomach, even though it was covered, and her smirk turned into a wide, amused smile “Maybe you weren’t expecting me to be half naked. Is that what you meant?”

Waverly rolled her eyes because Nicole was being obnoxious. She also blushed because, well, she was being completely called out and she could do nothing to deny it. She gave her head a little shake and she motioned once more to the entirety of Nicole’s being “Yes, you being naked.” She folded her arms across her chest with a huff before giving a slight nod “And the abs, too.”

“Well thank you” Nicole breathed out a laugh before turning from where she had been standing through the entire encounter and hopping to her right. She grabbed onto the back of her chair, using it for balance it seemed, before hopping once more in the same direction. “I hope you can handle at least one more unexpected thing today. Can you help me out?”

Waverly’s eyebrow arched on her forehead as she watched Nicole hop behind her desk. She tilted her head to the side curiously. She wondered if the woman had hurt herself during a workout. Before she could ask, though, the request for help came from Nicole. Her eyes fluttered in surprise and she couldn’t help but to cough out a soft laugh “Help with what?”

“So in my haste to change out of my workout clothes before my next patient got here I set my leg here…” Nicole tapped the end of the desk that was opposite where she had been standing when Waverly had walked in. “I set it with a little too much umph, apparently, and it fell and rolled and now…” She gave a motion with her hand toward a prosthetic leg that sat about ten feet away from where she stood. She then gave Waverly a sort of crooked smile and shrugged “I’d usually just hop my happy ass over there myself but since you’re here I thought…”

Waverly looked at Nicole, then the leg that was on the floor, and then back to Nicole. Suddenly what she was seeing came together with what Nicole had been saying and her jaw dropped. She could not have been more surprised. She wasn’t sure anything had caught her more off guard in her life. “Oh my god you have a prosthetic leg?”

“Yeah” Nicole wrinkled her nose and gave a nod. She motioned to the leg again before giving one more hop. This brought her around the side of the desk and that is when her bottom half came into view. She was wearing a nice pair of pressed black pants, looser than the ones she usually wore. She sat on the edge of the desk and when she did so the pant leg that covered her left side dangled loosely at the knee, indicating it was empty. She looked up at Waverly with a sort of expectant look now “So are you gonna make me hop over there or what?”

“Oh!” Waverly shook her shock away and hurried over to the leg. She scooped it up carefully, almost as if she were afraid it would break upon her touch, before turning and moving toward Nicole. She offered it out almost shyly. Her eyes then fell to the empty pant leg on Nicole’s left side and she let out a heavy sigh “I had no idea.”

“It’s really surprising that you haven’t googled me yet” Nicole chuckled as she worked to bunch her pant leg up around her left thigh. That revealed the fact that her left leg had been amputated from the knee down. With the pant leg out of the way now she quickly worked to reattach her prosthetic.

“I…” Waverly’s head shook. Her eyes were unable to tear away from what was looking at. It wasn’t because she was weirded out. She was completely shocked. She simply did not believe what had just unfolded before her eyes. 

“You…” Nicole mocked Waverly’s inability to speak. She laughed very softly and as she finished with her leg she quickly shoved the material of her pants down to cover it before she pushed off the desk to stand. She gave a few quick bends at her knees then nodded in approval at herself “Alright, we are good to go.”

“I’m so sorry” Waverly blinked again as she realized she was staring. She looked up at Nicole and surprise was still painted all over her face. “I just burst in here and made this really awkward and got all in your personal space and there was probably a reason you didn’t tell me. Not that you have to tell me. It’s your life you don’t owe anyone anything so don’t feel like you had to tell me. I guess I am just surprised is all and you move around so well and naturally that I couldn’t even tell!” 

“Woah” Nicole lifted a hand in a motion that told Waverly to slow down. She once more let out a soft laugh at the girl. She had to admit this was by far the best leg reveal she had ever done. Too bad she hadn’t planned it like this. “First of all, let’s just take a breath. You’re panicking and there is absolutely no need for that.”

Waverly gave a quick nod and drew in a deep breath. Her eyes had yet to return to normal size as she stared expectantly at Nicole now.

“Have a seat” Nicole motioned to one of the chairs at the front of her desk. She then moved to her own chair and sat down. She turned to face Waverly and once the woman was seated she gave her a soft smile “Long story short I kind of thought you already knew. Most people here do. I mean…” She let out a bit of a laugh as her hand lifted in a shrugging motion “...it’s not a secret.”

Waverly nodded just once. She kept her eyes focused on Nicole as she slowly started to realize what she was saying. This caused her to frown slightly and slump back into her chair “You’re saying I’m a little self-involved, aren’t you?”

“Your focus is on your life” Nicole shook her head and lifted a hand in a type of surrender motion to show she did not mean to sound harsh. “It’s not the worst attribute to have.”

“It’s fine, you can say it. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve heard it” Waverly let out a heavy sigh at the words. She had been told on more than one occassion by more than one person in the building that she was more than a little self-centered. But she had a lot of work to focus on and she didn’t really have time to hang around and gossip about the people she worked around. That was all a pointless waste of energy anyway.

“I’m not saying anything of the sort” Nicole reiterated with a shake of her head. “You work hard and you have a lot going on outside of work. It is commendable that you don’t add unnecessary drama to you plate.”

“You’re being really sweet but I know I’m self-involved. It’s a bad habit” Waverly huffed out a laugh and flicked her hand to the side in a weak attempt to brush away her words as if she didn’t care about them.

Nicole could see this was not an argument she would win. So she decided to just change the subject altogether “Anyway. You came in here with something very important to say, apparently.” She motioned to the door that Waverly had burst through and laughed very softly.

“Oh, that” Waverly glanced to the door when Nicole motioned to it. She had honestly forgotten all about why she had come into the office in the first place. Her focus was now solely on what she had learned about Nicole. She shook off the mention of why she had come to see her now before motioning to the other woman “I want to hear about you.”

Nicole let out a bashful sounding breath of a laugh. She knew it was mostly out of curiosity but the way Waverly had worded it kind of made butterflies come to life in her stomach. She should not be having that reaction and yet here she was. She tried to shake off the thought and focus back on answering Waverly’s indirect quiry about her leg. It was a story she had told more times in her life than she could count. It wasn’t hard for her any longer. It was a part of who she was and she would never deny that.

“I was sixteen” She finally started as her eyes settled gently on the woman sitting across her desk. “It was a car accident. It killed both of my parents” She spoke calmly, in a very matter-of-fact tone, as she nodded with each new statement she spoke. “It is the reason I decided to go into physical therapy and specialize in PTSD treatment.”

Waverly didn’t know if she wanted to cry or hug Nicole. It was a little bit of both, honestly. But she fought off the urge to do both and just gave a few nods. Her face twisted into a bit of a frown and she breathed out in astonishment “You are an incredible person.”

“I have just had a little harder road than most” Nicole shrugged off the compliment as she stood from her desk now. She moved around it until she was next to where Waverly was sitting. She bent down enough to lift the pant leg covering her prosthetic. Once she had it in full view she motioned to it as if indicating that she wanted Waverly to take a good look “The reason you couldn’t tell is because of the way this one is designed. It’s the most lifelike prosthetic available. The technological advances over the past ten years have been incredible. Aside from the fact that I can remove it and I don’t feel pain if you kick it this thing is almost like having a real leg.”

Waverly’s eyes shifted down when Nicole prompted her to look at the leg. She realized she had never seen one up close before. Of course going through medical school you are aware of amputees and how prosthetic limbs work but unless you are interested in them you don’t really study them. She knew what they looked like, for the most part, but the one she was seeing now definitely looked different. It was black and grey, kind of shiny, and shaped to look similar to Nicole’s other leg. She assumed as much, at least. She hadn’t ever seen Nicole’s other leg.

She shook the thought away and looked up at her now. She gave a little smile and motioned to the leg “Well I couldn’t tell so you are definitely getting your money’s worth.”

“Well it cost an arm and a leg, so...” Nicoled smirked as she dropped her pant leg. Instead of moving to sit back in her chair on the other side of the desk she shifted and took a seat in the empty chair next to Waverly. She folded her right leg over her left and gave a little nod “I am happy to answer any other questions you have.”

Waverly shook her head very quickly and offered Nicole a smile “Honestly, I don’t have any questions.”

“You will” Nicole gave a nod as she now got back to her feet. She moved fluidly around her desk and stood in front of the body length mirror she kept on the wall near the small bathroom in her office. She checked herself over once before deciding she looked like a serious professional. She could see Waverly watching her in the reflection and when their eyes met she smiled very slightly “It’s okay to be curious. Just know I won’t lie to you.” She turned now to face the woman still sitting at her desk and gave a nod “Just so you know I wasn’t trying to hide it from you. I guess it just never came up. Besides, you have much more important things going on. How is that going for you?”

“How is what?” Waverly blinked at the quick change of subject. She looked up at Nicole in confusion for a few seconds before she realized what she was talking about. She immediately felt her cheeks blush because she remembered why she had come to the office in the first place. She tried to shake the blush away as she stood from the chair “Oh, you know, working on it.”

“So you weren’t marching in here without knocking because you couldn’t wait to tell me you had done something selfish?” Nicole motioned to the door as a teasing smirk came to her lips. She was definitely going to be giving Waverly a hard time about this for a while.

“No!” Waverly tried to huff out in annoyance but it turned into a laugh. She hated that Nicole was a smartass. She was also grateful because she had managed to diffuse the entire situation through humor. Just another thing to add to the ever growing list of things that she liked about her.

“Alright” Nicole’s tone showed she did not believe Waverly at all. But she would leave it be for now. She held a smile on her face as she watched the woman stand then move toward the door. “I’ll be waiting on bated breath.”

“You’re annoying” Waverly rolled her eyes and turned to reach for the door. She paused before leaving and when she looked back at Nicole her amusement had faded and had been replaced with a very sincere smile “Thank you, by the way. For the flowers, I mean.”

“I’m glad you liked them” Nicole’s tone matched the softness of Waverly’s expression. She had been worried she had overstepped on the night in the treehouse so she wasn’t sure how the flowers would be received. She was happy to hear they had been welcomed.

“They were beautiful” Waverly nodded just once. She took a moment to look Nicole over once more. She was such an unexpected surprise, even more so than before, and the idea that she felt any fondness at all toward Waverly made her stomach twist in knots. She lifted a hand in a weak wave before stepping through the doorway “Have a good day, Nicole.”

“Same to you, Waverly” Nicole returned the wave and watched until the woman disappeared. She let out a heavy sigh and turned away from the door. She was greeted by the sight of herself in the mirror behind her and she could immediately see the dopey grin on her lips. She quickly shook it away and pointed at herself firmly in the mirror “Stop it! You’re going to get yourself hurt.” She glared at herself for a few seconds before it melted away and was replaced by a smile. She rolled her eyes at herself and moved to sit behind her desk again. She knew she was in trouble and there was nothing she could do about it.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

When a knock came to Nicole’s front door she froze on the spot. It wasn’t that she was doing anything questionable it was the fact that she wasn’t expecting anyone. She was never expecting anyone because no one knew where she lived. No one knew where she lived because she had no friends. Okay, so she had one friend. Well she thought they were friends. Maybe she was delusional about that.

Either way the knock took her by surprise. She turned away from the food she had been preparing and moved cautiously toward the door. It was almost like she was trying to figure out who could be knocking before she reached the door. Maybe if she was slow enough they would think she wasn’t home and they would go away. Honestly that sounded like the ideal solution to her.

Unfortunately that did not seem to be the case. Another knock came a few moments later and Nicole realized she was going to have to answer the door. She glanced over herself and gave a quick shake of her head because, well, she definitely did not have her Sunday best on. She had on a pair of old gym shorts and a tank top. It was hot and she had finished a workout not too long ago. She hoped whoever was on the other end of the door did not have high hopes. Even more so she kind of hoped whoever was knocking was so appalled by her appearance that they would flee from her home immediately.

When she reached the door she let out a sigh. She should have gotten a bigger house because she had not stalled nearly long enough in her opinion. Sadly, she had no choice but to answer. So she drew in a deep breath, put on a polite smile, and pulled the door open.

“Oh good you’re home” Waverly stood on her porch with a smile on her lips. Her eyes flickered over Nicole’s outfit and she immediately realized two very important things. The first being that she had just interrupted what was probably a peaceful night at home. The second was far more important. She realized she very much liked the relaxed look Nicole had going on in that moment. She liked it a lot.

“Waverly!” The relief that flooded Nicole’s face was obvious. She let out a soft laugh and stepped to the side “Come on in. I was just about to make dinner if you’re hungry.”

“Shit. I interrupted, didn’t I?” Waverly frowned and did not move from her spot.

“Not at all” Nicole waved it off with another laugh. She then used her hand to motion for the woman to come inside. When she did so Nicole tapped the door closed then moved toward her kitchen with the assumption that Waverly would just follow suit “Did I miss a text? I didn’t know you were coming” She glanced over her shoulder and smiled “Not that I am complaining.”

“Oh, no, I didn’t text” Waverly’s frown held as she followed Nicole into the kitchen. “Damn I should have texted! You must think I’m the most impolite person you’ve ever met. First I barge in on you while changing and now this?”

“It’s fine” Nicole laughed it off as she moved back to where she had been preparing her dinner. “Like I said, I’m not complaining.”

“It’s still rude” Waverly huffed as she moved to lean against the kitchen island across from where Nicole was chopping things on a cutting board. She smiled very softly as she looked everything over and after a moment she motioned to the food “What are you making tonight?”

“Chicken salad” Nicole shook her head with a laugh. She lifted the ingredients she had been cutting and tossed them into the bowl next to her before looking up at Waverly. Her face held a smile but her eyebrow perked and it was easy to see she was trying to figure out why Waverly had decided to drop by unannounced. After a moment of silently studying her, she looked back down to the cutting board and reached for her next ingredient. “Do you want some of this?”

Sure Waverly’s rational brain knew Nicole was asking about the salad. But the part of Waverly that liked how Nicole looked right now and the part of her that got butterflies when she thought of Nicole and the part of her that couldn’t get the image of her topless out of her mind thought for a split second she was offering a piece of herself. This caused Waverly to shiver from head to toe because she knew the answer to that was yes. Why the answer was yes she had yet to figure out. But she knew for certain that a huge flashing lighted sign with the letters Y-E-S was burning in her brain.

“Uh, sure” She managed to mumble out through a labored breath as she tried to focus on something other than the fact that her hormones seemed to have reverted back to puberty level where everything could be turned sexual.

Nicole perked an eyebrow at the way Waverly had answered. It didn’t sound sure at all. She looked up at the woman curiously and when she saw the way her cheeks were flushed she tilted her head to the side “Are you alright?”

“Fine” Waverly pushed on a forced smile and rolled her eyes. “It was hot outside and you have like a million stairs.”

Nicole nodded just once in agreement but the look on her face showed she didn’t believe that excuse. But she wouldn’t push. She had learned not to push with Waverly. So instead she looked back at what she was doing and continued on like there wasn’t a weird energy in the room “So you do eat meat?”

“Huh?” Waverly blinked at the question because it seemed so random. Then she remembered that Nicole had said she was making chicken salad and it made sense. She shook her head at that quickly “Oh, no, I’m sorry. I don’t eat meat.”

“You apologize too much” Nicole glanced up and gave the girl a smirk. She picked up the small plastic container that was sitting near her on the island where she was preparing the food and turned around toward the fridge. She opened the door and tossed the container inside before coming back to the island with a nod “We will go meatless tonight, then.”

“You don’t have to-”

“Here” Nicole interrupted Waverly once more trying to be way too polite as she lifted her hand to reveal she was holding out a piece of food for her to try. “I grew these cherry tomatoes in my garden. You should try one.”

Waverly was a little caught off guard and it showed as she tried to blink away the surprise. She then focused on the small red bit that Nicole held and she realized that she was once more changing the subject. She did that a lot. Waverly wondered if that was on purpose or if she did it just to keep the conversation going.

“It’s not poison. I promise” Nicole laughed at the surprised look on Waverly’s face. She moved around the island slightly to bring herself closer to Waverly before her hand lifted up in offering once more. “Try it. It’s the best cherry tomato you will ever eat.”

Suddenly Nicole was right next to her holding food to her lips. Waverly felt her heart flutter in her chest and her breath hitch in her throat. Then, as if her body had taken over control of itself, she leaned forward and slowly let both the tomato and the tips of Nicole’s fingers slide between her lips.

It was a split second, barely even measurable by time, and it was over before it had really even happened but that was all it took to cause Nicole’s hand to tremble. The sight of Waverly’s lips wrapped around her fingers, even if for a hiccup of a moment, sent her carnal instincts of desire racing through her. She knew she shouldn’t think such things but in that moment she was helpless. It was an image already burned permanently into her consciousness.

“Mmm, you’re right. It’s really juicy” Waverly, unaware of what she had just done to Nicole, nodded in delight as she relished in the taste of the tomato. She licked over her lips just once to sweep up the last bit of juice that had escaped when she had bitten down on the plump red fruit and gave Nicole a smile “Amazing.”

It was a quick flash of pink that slid over Waverly’s lips but it was more than enough to push Nicole right up against her breaking point. She had to step back. She had to cool off. She could not stand this close to Waverly and think these sorts of things. If she did she knew she would do something completely reckless and scare the girl off forever.

So she took a quick, sharp step back. The angle at which she moved caused her to slam her hip bone not so lightly into the hard wooden corner of the island countertop. This then caused her to flinch away from the pain in the opposite direction which then caused her to trip over her own fake leg which ultimately sent her tumbling to the floor.

“Oh my god are you o-” Waverly had reached out to comfort Nicole when she saw the first knock of her hip against the countertop. But just as her hand had drawn close, Nicole had lost her balance and in an attempt to keep herself from falling she grabbed at anything she could find to try and stay upright. Unfortunately that happened to be an unsuspecting Waverly. The sudden tug from Nicole sent her stumbling forward. Her foot stepped to try and save herself but instead got entangled with Nicole’s legs. In just a blink of an eye they were both tumbling helpless to the floor.

There was a grunt and a moan as the metaphorical dust settled. Waverly had landed face down to the right of Nicole. She had managed to catch most of her weight on her hands so she had not hit her head but that did not mean the fall had not hurt.

Nicole laid on her back staring up at the ceiling in complete and utter embarrassment. It was hard to embarrass her and yet she laid there mortified. Her own gay panic had caused this. She was so ashamed she couldn’t control her damn self around this girl and she had literally taken Waverly down with her. She kind of wished she had died just then so she did not have to face Waverly ever again.

“Are you alright?” Waverly groaned as she pushed herself onto her hands and knees. She rocked back to sit on her ankles before reaching down to brush off her shirt. That is when she realized how clean she was. She perked an eyebrow and looked over at Nicole who was still laying on her back not looking at her “Your floor is immaculate.”

For some reason this was the most hilarious thing Waverly could have said in that moment. Nicole closed her eyes and a smile of pure amusement spread over her face. She let out a loud laugh that turned into a hearty chuckle. It lasted a few seconds and when it died down she dared open her eyes to look at the girl. Her head gave a shake as she pushed herself up onto her elbows, her smile still holding, as her eyes met Waverly’s “I mop nearly every day.”

Nicole’s laugh was infectious and it had spread to Waverly almost immediately. Though it was not as hearty or as long as Nicole’s it had been just as joyous and delighted. She held a smile that matched Nicole’s as the laughter died down and the woman looked at her. When she spoke about mopping the floors, Waverly breathed out another soft laugh and nodded just once “Very impressive.”

“I’m sorry about that” Nicole’s smile faded slightly as she motioned to the corner of the countertop that had caused the two of them to get entangled and fall to the floor. She pushed herself up until she was sitting completely upright and brushed her hands together even though there wasn’t any dirt on them “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Waverly’s smile faded as her head shook back and forth a few times. She felt a flutter in her stomach once more as the concern that she might be hurt filled Nicole’s face. The fact that someone she barely knew cared so much about her was probably the biggest factor contributing to all the confusing emotions swirling around inside herself. She honestly didn’t know how to handle such unadulterated kindness.

“Good” Nicole looked relieved that Waverly was not hurt. She held her eyes on the woman for a few moments and she wondered again why she had come over. It didn’t matter, not really, but she was still curious about it. “You never told me why you’re here.”

Suddenly Waverly was terrified. She didn’t want to lie to Nicole but she also wasn’t sure she was ready to tell her the truth. It was a truth she had barely been made aware of herself. What if it wasn’t true at all? What if she was just confused by all the kindness being shown to her for the first time in her life? What if Nicole didn’t feel the same?

Then Nicole’s voice echoed in her head, reminding her not to take stock in what others reactions would be. The voice told her to be selfish and do so for herself and only herself. So before she could talk herself out of it she felt herself lunge at Nicole and in just a split second their lips crashed together in an urgent kiss.

Nicole was surprised and it showed in the way she froze. Her eyes went wide and for a few brief seconds it was as if she had forgotten what to do when someone kissed her. That faded quickly, though, and her natural instincts took over. Her head tilted to the side, her eyes closed, and her hand moved to cup the back of Waverly’s head to show the kiss was very much welcome.

After a few seconds of letting herself completely enjoy the kiss, Waverly pulled back abruptly. It was as if her rational brain regained control. She stared wide eyed at Nicole as her hand lifted to touch lightly against her lips. She took a few seconds to think it over before a smile broke out from behind her fingertips and she let out a soft laugh “So funny story…”

“Had I known my mopping habits got you going like that I would have told you days ago” Nicole’s face lit with a mischievous smirk at her own joke.

“Oh my god” Waverly rolled her eyes and pushed away from Nicole completely now. She let out a soft laugh as a blush started to rise in her cheeks “It had nothing to do with your mopping habits.”

“I figured” Nicole sat upright again, having been pushed back a bit when Wavrely had lunged at her. She reached out and gently put a hand on Waverly’s leg. She could see her blushing and concern filled her face once more “Hey, talk to me.”

There it was again. That look of sheer regard for her well being. She hated that look because it had been the very cause of all the confusing things in Waverly’s recent life. She also loved that look. It melted her. It unhinged her. It made her feel both vulnerable and brave all at the same time.

Waverly let out a soft sigh and a smile came to her lips. She shook her head and reached out to tap the end of Nicole’s nose just once “Rules say I don’t have to explain myself to you or care what you think.”

Nicole could not believe her ears. Her jaw dropped open and she stared in disbelief for a few seconds. Then she snorted out a laugh “Wait, that was your selfish act for the week?”

Waverly just gave her best coy shrug as she climbed to her feet. Standing over Nicole now, a smirk filled her lips, and she reached down to offer a helping hand “Now, if I’m not mistaken, you invited me to stay for dinner and I’m absolutely famished.”

“You can’t just…” Nicole huffed as she took the hand offered to her and used it to get back to her feet. She brushed off the back of her shorts as she stared at Waverly in utter shock. When Waverly just shrugged her off again she threw her hands out to the side “Waverly! I applaud your brazen act of selfishness but also…” She motioned to herself now feverishly and let out a laugh “You can’t keep me hanging here. What in the world is going on?”

Waverly just shook her head as she moved around the countertop island. She reached the knife that Nicole had been using to prepare her salad and picked it up. She focused on the task at hand and after a few chops through the ingredient it was obvious that Waverly did not have finesse in the kitchen. She sighed and looked up at Nicole with a cute smile “Apparently I need cooking lessons.”

Nicole was a little frustrated that they were not talking about what had just happened. She was a talker. She hated when things went unresolved. But then Waverly looked up at her with those beautiful eyes and she felt her frustration melt away. She let out a laugh and moved around to where Waverly stood. She motioned to the knife in her hand then reached around her from behind so her hand covered the smaller one “You’re holding it wrong. If you just move it like this…” She spoke gently as she corrected Waverly’s grip on the handle of the knife. She then moved the hand she held under hers as if it were her own and demonstrated proper chopping technique. “See? Much easier.”

Waverly gave a single nod even though she had not felt the difference. All she could feel, honestly, was Nicole’s body pressed against her back and the way her hand held onto hers gently. She thought kissing Nicole would put a stop to all of the sensations and desires surging through her. It had done nothing but ignite them further. She couldn’t fight it any longer. She had already broken the ice so why not keep going? 

Her hand released the knife and she turned around to face Nicole. Her back pressed against the side of the countertop as her hands moved slowly up along the sides of the taller woman’s thin torso. Her eyes lifted and when she was met with a curious look from Nicole she smirked very slightly “I’m about to be very selfish again.”

Before she could say anything, Nicole felt Waverly’s lips pressed against hers again. This time it was a little more graceful and a little more tender. This time it had not been a complete surprise so Nicole was able to immediately return the kiss with a little more fervor. Her left hand came up to cup against Waverly’s cheek as her right hand slid around her back. She pulled until their bodies were pressed tightly against the island in the middle of her kitchen. She felt herself losing the battle to keep her desire in check.

“Wait, wait, wait” Waverly breathed out heavily as she pushed Nicole back just enough to break the kiss. She turned to her left just enough to catch sight of the knife laying on the counter. She grabbed hold of it and with a flick of her arm sent it flying into the empty sink behind Nicole. It clanked around a few times in the metal basin before coming to a stop. Once she knew the pointy object was now at a safe distance from them she gave a nod and lifted back to her toes “Okay, go.”

Nicole’s amused laugh was cut off by Waverly’s lips once more. Again she did not hesitate to return the kiss. They quickly fell back into the intensity that was rising before Waverly had stopped to toss the knife to safety. Nicole’s hand slid around her waist again and once more pulled until there was no space left between their bodies.

Waverly shivered at the feeling of Nicole pressing herself against her. She let out a moan of liking against the kiss to let her know just how much she enjoyed the sensation. She wasn’t going to think any more that night. She was going to let her body, her lips, and her raging desires lead the way. If it felt right she was going to do it. Maybe it was selfish but that was the entire point, right?

Both of Nicole’s hands moved quickly to lift Waverly off her feet enough to place her on the edge of the countertop. In doing so she had accidentally tipped the salad bowl over, spilling the contents everywhere. They could deal with it later, though. Nicole was focused on something for more important as she moved between Waverly’s legs, once more pressing their bodies together, as her hands slowly slid along her thighs and up over her hips. Her touch continued to explore up the shape of Waverly as they slid along her back. She broke the kiss suddenly but only in favor of allowing the shirt she had worked up Waverly’s torso to pass over her head freely.

Waverly didn’t hesitate. She lifted her arms and smiled as her head popped free of the material. She watched Nicole toss it to the side before her own hands reached for the hem of the tank top Nicole wore. She mimicked the movements of the other woman and soon they were both topless in the middle of the kitchen.

Her eyes fell and her fingers reached out to gently touch at the abs she had seen earlier that day. As her touch danced gently over the toned muscles she felt them tense slightly. She smirked at that reaction and looked up at Nicole curiously “Are you ticklish?”

“Absolutely not” Nicole bit her lip as her eyes fell to watch Waverly’s fingers move over her skin. A patch of goosebumps lifted in the area that was being touched and she let out a soft grunt of approval at the sensation. 

Waverly pulled her hand back and lifted her eyes again. She pulled her bottom lip in between her teeth and suddenly she looked unsure. She let out a heavy sigh and her head shook just once “I’ve never done this before. With a woman, I mean.”

“It’s alright” Nicole nodded quickly and the look of genuine concern returned to her face as if it were already a habit. Her hand lifted to gently cup Waverly’s cheek “We don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with.” She smiled just slightly as she continued to nod “Or anything at all. The last thing I want is to make you uncomfortable.”

“I’m not” Waverly insisted with a quick shake of her head. Her hands lifted now to slide along Nicole’s arms very slowly. Again her fingertips were met with toned muscles and she couldn’t help but smile. “You are very fit.”

Nicole laughed out very softly and gave a nod of agreement. Her hands dropped to Waverly’s waist and after pressing a kiss against her forehead she gently lifted the girl off the counter and lowered her until her feet hit the floor. “How about we get dressed, we order pizza, and we go relax on the couch? No pressure.”

“I don’t feel pressure” Waverly shook her head back and forth feverishly as her hands moved to wrap around the back of Nicole’s neck now. “I was just a little nervous for a second. I’m fine.”

Nicole’s soft smile held. She lifted a hand to brush a bit of Waverly’s bangs off her eyes before she spoke again gently “You’re not a very good liar.”

Waverly bit her lip and looked away from her guiltily.

“Hey” Nicole reached down and tucked her fingers under Waverly’s chin. She guided the girl’s eyes back to her own and when they met gazes she smiled “It’s a great quality to have. I hate having to guess whether or not someone is being honest. It’s exhausting.”

“I shouldn’t lie at all” Waverly whispered with a shake of her head. “You’re so kind and so caring. You deserve nothing but honesty from me.”

Nicole shook her head and once more leaned down to touch a kiss against Waverly’s forehead. She then moved to quickly fetch both of the discarded shirts from the kitchen floor. She offered Waverly’s hers before slipping her own back over her head. She then reached for Waverly’s hand “How about we start with an honest conversation while we wait for the pizza?”

“We could still do salad, you know?” Waverly motioned to the ass print that had been left in the middle of the ingredients that had been spilled all about the countertop when she had been placed there by Nicole.

Nicole let out a laugh at that as she turned to lead Waverly from the kitchen “I am going to ignore the obvious salad tossing joke and go find my phone so we can order pizza.”

Waverly blushed because, well, she had not even thought of it like that. She had just been trying to lighten the mood with a joke. She tried to shake the blush off as she was escorted to the couch. When Nicole motioned for her to sit she did so without hesitation. She watched the woman scoop up her phone before gently taking a seat next to her. 

“Alright what is the best pizza place in town?” Nicole glanced up at Waverly as her thumbs dangled above her screen, ready to google whatever name was tossed her way.

“I know a place that makes the best vegetarian pizza” Waverly grabbed the phone and turned it so she could see it. She dialed the number from memory before putting the phone to her ear. The phone call was brief but it was obvious the person on the other end knew Waverly pretty well because the back and forth played more like a friendly chat than a business transaction. As she hung up the phone and handed it back to Nicole she gave a proud smile “We have fifteen minutes.”

“You memorized my address?” Nicole looked impressed as she set her phone on one of the tables near the couch.

“I’m good with numbers” Waverly shrugged as if it were no big deal.

“What other impressive skills do you have?” Nicole let out a breath of a laugh as she turned to face Waverly better.

“I can speak four languages fluently” Waverly nodded at that. “I technically got my first Bachelor’s when I was sixteen but I wasn’t allowed to turn the credits in until I graduated high school. So it looks like I got it during my first year of college.”

Nicole’s eyes fluttered in disbelieving blinks “You had a Bachelor’s degree by the age of sixteen?”

“Technically” Waverly shrugged slightly. 

“Well, shit” Nicole huffed out an impressed sounding laugh. “Is there anything else I should know?”

Waverly bit her bottom lip and reached out to slowly rest her hand against Nicole’s leg. When the touch brought Nicole’s eyes up to meet her own she gave a single nod “I really like you and that is very confusing for me.”

Nicole bit her lip now. She could see that Waverly was trying her best to be honest despite the fact that she was terrified. She wasn’t sure she could express what that meant to her. Her gaze softened on her and when she spoke next it was barely above a whisper “I really like you, too.”

“I am guessing it is far less confusing for you” Waverly laughed kind of awkwardly at her attempted joke. “You’ve been surprisingly level-headed throughout all of this.”

Nicole had to stifle her laughter now. Her head gave a slight shake as amusement danced on her lips “I am just very good at hiding it. I have been having quite an internal struggle about how you are making me feel.”

“What?” Waverly coughed the word out through a laugh. She blinked just once as she shifted to bring both legs up onto the couch so she could fully face Nicole. She folded her arms across her chest and gave the girl a curious look “And what exactly have I been making you feel?”

Nicole just gave a coy little shake of her head as she fought off a smirk. She reached out and gently took hold of the end of a strand of Waverly’s hair. She teased it through her fingertips a few times before her eyes shifted back to see she was being watched. When it was obvious Waverly was not going to drop the subject, she let out a very light laugh “I have just been trying to be there for you. I have been there to listen to you when you wanted. And somehow…” Her smile faded just slightly and her tone became a bit more serious “...I found myself completely consumed by you.”

Waverly bit her lip in an attempt to fight off a bashful smile. She dropped a hand back to Nicole’s knee so her fingers could tap there gently. She gave a little shake of her head and let out a soft sigh “You certainly know how to make an impression because I can honestly say I haven’t been able to get you off my mind since the moment I walked into my office and found you holding my shotgun.”

A hand moved to cover Nicole’s heart and she batted her eyes playfully at Waverly “I have waited my entire life to hear a girl say those words to me.”

“Shut up!” Waverly swatted lightly at Nicole’s hand and gave her head an amused shake. Nicole’s sense of humor was annoying in the sense that it was always so perfect. She laughed slightly at the woman sitting next to her on the couch and rolled her eyes “You know what I meant.”

“I’m serious. That was such a good pick up line” Nicole fought off a smirk as she tried to continue to pretend like she was swooning, taking on a Southern accent now “My momma always said the quickest way to a girl’s heart is through her shotgun.”

“Now you’re just being annoying” Waverly rolled her eyes again. She gave an irritated huff as she pushed off the couch “I am leaving if you’re just going to make fun of me.”

“No, no, wait!” Nicole gasped, her accent back to normal, and reached out to grab hold of one of Waverly’s wrists. She gave a very light tug and pouted at her “I’ll be good. I promise.”

Waverly bit at her bottom lip slightly and let her eyes travel over Nicole’s entire form before lifting one shoulder into a slight shrug “Not too good, I hope.”

Nicole perked a curious eyebrow at the insinuation from Waverly. She smirked and gave a single nod of her head “What happened to an honest conversation?”

“Maybe I’m done talking?” Waverly held both shoulders up into a shrug as she moved back toward Nicole. She didn’t sit back on the couch. Instead she moved so a knee was on each side of Nicole’s lap before she slowly sat against her legs. She wrapped her arms around her neck and let her fingertips find the short strands of hair there. She perked an eyebrow slightly, almost as if silently asking if what she was doing was alright, before she spoke again in a whisper “Maybe I’m not feeling nervous anymore?”

“Really?” Nicole looked pleasantly surprised as she accepted the woman into her lap. Her hands moved along her legs and up over her hips before wrapping around to her back. Without hesitation her fingertips pushed up the back of Waverly’s shirt and she gently let her touch start to explore the warm skin she found there. “You know pizza is on the way, right?”

“That doesn’t mean we can’t make out until it gets here” Waverly nodded once as if she were making a good point.

Nicole’s head nodded, too, in a firm agreement as a smile twitched at the corners of her lips “You do make a very excellent point.”

Before any more words could be spoken the two of them moved into one another until their lips met. The kiss was heated, more hungry than the previous ones, but slightly less urgent. It was like they were on the same page as they kissed. They wanted the other person to feel the desire they held for them while simultaneously trying to convey that there was no rush. No pressure. It was about being in that moment and exploring everything they had been feeling the past few days.

Soon kissing wasn’t enough and hands started to push and pull at clothing. Nicole’s hands had pushed up the back of Waverly’s shirt completely and once more the kiss had broken to allow for the garment to be removed. Nicole’s shirt was again tossed off quickly afterwards. As they came back together to resume the kiss they had shifted and Waverly was now pressed into the couch with Nicole’s entire body above her. 

Hands, fingers, lips, and teeth searched out all the new and exciting unexplored territory that they were both discovering. Nicole’s touch was light as she traced each dip and curve of Waverly’s form. It was as if she were meticulously touching every inch of her skin in an attempt to memorize the way her body was shaped. 

Waverly lifted into each touch as her own hands moved about Nicole’s exposed skin. She delighted in every new muscle she found flexed as Nicole held herself over Waverly in an attempt not to squish her. She felt a shiver every single time her fingers moved over a rib or hip bone because, although the terrain was similar to her own, it was also brand new. It was a place she never thought she would get to explore and with each pass of her hand she felt exhilaration growing within her.

The silence of the house was broken by the ringing of a phone. The kiss was broken immediately. Nicole’s head fell to rest against Waverly’s shoulder and she let out a soft groan of displeasure “Please tell me you do not have to answer that.”

Waverly laughed but it wasn’t out of amusement. She let out a heavy breath as her hand moved up Nicole’s back and into the short red strands of her hair. She gripped there for a moment before dipping her chin just enough to touch a kiss to whatever part of Nicole’s head she could reach “Let me just check it. It’s my work phone so it shouldn’t be ringing unless there’s an emergency.”

“I know how important mental health is and that it does not care what time of day it is but…” Nicole pouted as she lifted her head now and gave Waverly her best puppy dog eyes “...I also kind of hate that you are so dedicated to your work right now.”

“You’ll survive” Waverly tapped Nicole’s nose just once before shifting under her so she could reach her phone where it sat on the coffee table nearby. Once she grabbed it and looked at her screen she looked immediately worried. She put a hand on Nicole’s chest and pushed slightly to indicate she needed her to move “It’s Rosita.”

“Who?” Nicole couldn’t help but look worried because of the fact that Waverly did. She sat back quickly to allow all the room Waverly needed to sit up. She watched her carefully as she rushed to get off the couch, answering her phone as she hurried out of the room.

It was less than a minute before Waverly came scurrying back into the room. She went right over to where her shirt had been tossed and started to pull it on “I am so sorry. I have to go. Something came up.”

“Woah hey” Nicole shot up off the couch and held her hands out to try and calm Waverly because she could see how frazzled she looked. “What’s wrong? Is everything okay?”

“It’s my sister” Waverly tugged her shirt on then started to look around to make sure she had everything. She was still holding her phone which meant all she needed were her keys. She let out a sigh and started to search for them.

“Is she okay?” Nicole hurried around the couch now and scooped up her tank top. Then she realized it was a tank top and she threw it aside. “Can I help?”

“I don’t…” Waverly let out an almost panicked sounding huff now and whirled around to fix her eyes on Nicole. “I have no idea, Nicole. I just need my keys.”

“Okay” Nicole gave a nod and once more held her hands up toward the girl. She did not want her to think she was trying to delay her and have her freak out. “Let me go get on some real clothes” She motioned quickly to her loose basketball shorts and the fact that she was topless “And I will come with you. Just for support.”

“You don’t have to-” Waverly let out a heavy sigh as she stopped herself from pushing Nicole away. It was none of her business but in that moment Waverly wanted Nicole to come. She wanted her there. She wasn’t sure she could handle her sister alone. She gave a nod to the woman to go ahead and get dressed.

“Your keys are still in your pocket” Nicole pointed at Waverly with a relieved smile when she realized Waverly was not fighting her help. “Give me two minutes” Without another word she turned and ran off toward her room to find something a little more appropriate to wear.

Waverly blinked and reached for her pocket. Sure enough she found her keys there. As she fished them out a soft smile came to her lips. She wasn’t sure how Nicole was always so calm about everything. She also wondered if she had always been so observant or if it was something she had picked up on through her training.

The thought fluttered away as Nicole came rushing back into the room. She had pulled on some jeans and was halfway through sliding a light blue button up over her arms. She looked at Waverly and gave her a little nod toward the door “You ready? Do you need me to drive?”

“I think I’m alright” Waverly nodded as she hurried to the door. Nicole already had it pulled open and she rushed through it. She waited for Nicole to follow her before they started down all of the stairs that led from her front door to her driveway. There were seriously like thirty steps. It was ridiculous and really inconvenient at the moment.

Once they reached the car and got inside they were on their way quickly. It wasn’t until about a block away from Nicole’s house that Waverly took her eyes off the road for the first time. That is when she noticed the other woman was tying her shoe. She let out a soft laugh at that and looked back at the road “It’s a good thing I was still wearing mine or I probably would have left without them.”

“I’d have made sure you didn’t” Nicole assured her with a gentle smile as she settled her foot on the floor of the car once she was done with her laces. She then reached out and gently laid her hand against Waverly’s arm “Just breathe, okay? Whatever it is I know you can handle it.”

Waverly felt her heart flutter. The gentle touch, the soft tone, and that damn concerned look that Nicole had on her face was almost too much in that moment. She was certain this was the best person she had ever met. She was also completely sure she did not deserve her kindness. She let out a heavy sigh and nodded just once “You really didn’t have to come. None of this has anything to do with you.”

“But it has everything to do with you” Nicole’s tone was still soft as she spoke. “You might not believe it but you don’t have to deal with everything by yourself, okay? If nothing else I want to make sure you get to a point where you realize you’re not alone.”

Waverly blinked just once as her eyes left the road to look at Nicole. She fixed her with a very serious look and when she spoke her tone matched “I’ve done everything alone most of my life, Nicole.”

Unphased but the weight of Waverly’s words, Nicole returned the serious look and spoke with more conviction than she ever had in her entire life “As long as I’m around you’ll never be alone again.”

~.~.~.~.~.~.


	4. Savor the sorrow to soften the pain

Once Waverly had pulled into the parking lot and brought her car to a stop she quickly got out. She immediately rushed over to where her sister was tugging feverishly at the locked door of the building she lived in. She gently put a hand on her shoulder and spoke softly so as not to startle her “Wynonna, hey, calm down.”

“There you are!” Wynonna whirled around with a scowl on her face. She motioned up to the building and shook her head angrily “I’ve been ringing your bell for hours! Where have you been.”

“Calm down” Waverly lifted a hand to try and keep her sister from blowing up. Her eyes moved over her sister’s state of being slowly and worry crept over her features quickly. “What’s wrong?”

“I fucking need you and you’re not there!” Wynonna growled and motioned to the building again. “You’re never fucking there for me!”

“That’s not fair” Waverly put a hand on her hip and motioned with her other hand to her sister. “Take a breath and just tell me what’s wrong.”

Nicole had gotten out of the car with concern painted on her features as she watched Waverly rush over to her sister. That is when she realized her sister was the woman who had been yelling at Waverly a few nights prior in the parking lot outside their office building. Her head shook and worry rose in her throat. As she moved around the car she noticed another familiar face standing nearby. She perked an eyebrow and walked over to the woman who was off to the side watching the sisters speaking to each other “You live here too?”

Rosita turned at the sound of Nicole’s voice. She gave a quick glance at Nicole then looked back at the sisters. Then she realized who had spoken to her and she turned back to take a better look at Nicole. She perked a curious eyebrow at her before giving a nod and looking back once more to the sisters “Waverly and I live in the same building. Wynonna’s been screaming at the door for about half an hour now.”

Nicole just nodded. She didn’t say anything else. Her eyes and ears were locked on the sisters just in case she needed to intervene again.

“Let’s just go to the hospital and they can help” Waverly was speaking calmly and firmly.

“I don’t need to go to the fucking hospital” Wynonna growled and shoved Waverly’s hands away from her. “Just let me in so I can get some fucking sleep.”

Nicole had taken a step toward the sisters when Wynonna had shoved Waverly’s touch away but Rosita held an arm out to stop her. She gave a shake of her head to indicate she needed to stay out of it.

“Is she high?” Nicole breathed out softly as she took a step back.

“I think she’s in withdrawal” Rosita whispered softly.

“You can’t come in” Waverly insisted and tried to reach for her sister again. “Where have you been staying?”

“Fuck you, man” Wynonna once more batted Waverly’s hand away. She then ran a trembling hand through her hair as she let out a heavy sigh. She was visibly sweating and unable to stand still. She was agitated and the more Waverly refused to let her in the more uneasy she grew. “Why can’t I just nap for a few hours?”

“No” Waverly folded her arms now. She knew if she let her sister into her home she would probably puke all over, pass out, wake up early, steal something to buy drugs, and leave.

“I thought we were family!” Wynonna shouted before swiping her hand across her nose. She stared at her sister with disdain before motioning to the building behind her again. “You’re a rich fucking snob that can’t share a damn thing with me. You’ve always been a brat.”

“Wynonna let’s just go to the clinic. They can help you feel better.” Waverly let out a heavy sigh and motioned to her car.

“I don’t want to go to a fucking clinic! I want to take a nap!” As she yelled the last of her words she used all her might to shove Waverly backwards. The force caused her sister to stumble a few steps before she lost her balance and fell on her ass.

Nicole sprinted the short distance from where she was standing to put herself between the sisters. She held her hand out toward Wynonna to try and calm her down as she fixed her with a firm but tender stare “Don’t take it out on her. I know you don’t feel very good right now. You’re sick and you’re shaking and you just want to pass out. I get it.”

“Who the fuck are you?” Wynonna puffed up defensively.

“You can stay at my place” Nicole gave a quick nod and put a hand against her chest. “I have a huge house in the hills. Plenty of food, lots of space, you’ll have as much privacy as you want.”

Rosita had rushed over to Waverly to help her up once Nicole stepped between the sisters. She had just finished helping her to her feet when she heard what the woman offered Wynonna. She looked just as surprised as Waverly and she gave a little nod of her head toward Nicole “I have so many questions right now.”

Waverly rolled her eyes at her friend because it was so not the time for that. She moved now to put a hand on Nicole’s arm and stepped up beside her. She gave her head a shake before looking at her sister “Wynonna, we just want to help.”

“I don’t want you rich bitch snobs helping me. I just want a place to crash for the night” Wynonna stepped up now and without warning got into Nicole’s face. She pushed her hands against her chest and shoved her as hard as she could. “And I certainly don’t need this bitch trying to save me just to impress you.”

“There is no need to be hostile” Nicole barely flinched from the shove. When she spoke she tried to sound firm but also non confrontational. She did not want Wynonna to think she was trying to fight back.

“Don’t tell me what to do” Wynonna growled and shoved Nicole a second time. Again, Nicole barely moved. Wynonna shook off the confusion of that before looking at her sister and pointing in her face “I am so sick of you thinking you know everything just because you went to a fancy school and got a fancy degree.”

“Wynonna, calm-”

“If you’re so fucking smart why can’t you fix me?” Wynonna shouted right in Waverly’s face.

“Hey!” Nicole stepped between the sisters once more. This time her hands grabbed hold of Wynonna’s shoulders firmly and she walked her backwards so her entire body was squarely between the other two. She stared down at Wynonna and shook her head “I’m going to ask you one more time to back off.”

“Or what?” Wynonna gave a shrug and shoved her hands against Nicole’s chest for a third time. When the taller woman barely moved she perked an eyebrow slightly before giving a scoff “You gonna fight me?”

“No” Nicolle shook her head just once. “I will call the police and have you arrested, though. Believed me, withdrawal is far worse in prison than it is at a hospital.”

“You don’t scare me” Wynonna growled even though she was already stepping back from Nicole. She eyed the woman up and down slowly before shaking her head. Her eyes shifted now to Waverly who was slightly behind Nicole and huffed out with disapproval “Are you going to let her talk to me like that?”

“She’s just trying to help, Wynonna. We all are” Waverly gave a nod and stepped forward now. Her eyes were locked on her sister as she approached her carefully. “Please just let us help.”

“You can help by letting me stay with you” Wynonna snarled and once more motioned to the building behind her where Waverly’s condo was located.

“She already said no” Nicole shook her head then motioned to herself. “But you are welcome to come stay at my place.”

“Nicole, no” Waverly frowned and shook her head. 

“It’s fine” Nicole whispered quickly before looking back at Wynonna. “Just for the night. Then we can see about getting you into rehab tomorrow.”

“Fuck you” Wynonna hissed and backed away a little more. “I am not going to rehab. That shit doesn’t work.”

“Just give it a chance” Waverly stepped forward now with her hands held out toward her sister in an attempt to try and comfort her if she ever drew close enough to her.

“No!” Wynonna backed up again. Her eyes looked from her sister, to Nicole, and back again. Her eyebrows curled into a scowl and she started to back pedal more quickly “You know what? Forget it. I will find somewhere else to-”

“Wynonna!” Waverly lunged at her sister but she was not fast enough. 

In her haste to back away from the others Wynonna’s feet clipped a cement parking block and she tumbled backwards. She was unable to catch herself and when she landed her head hit the sidewalk behind her.

“Shit” Nicole rushed over without hesitation. She bent down and slowly slid her arm under Wynonna’s neck. She leaned over her to check her breathing. After a few seconds of listening she looked at Rosita and motioned to Waverly’s car “Get her in! Let’s go!”

Waverly was a mess. She was shaking and crying and unable to focus. Rosita rushed over to her, slid her arm around her friend, and turned her toward the car “It’s okay, Waves. We are going to get her help. Just give me your keys and get in the car.”

“It’s all my fault. It’s all my fault” Waverly wailed out through sobs.

“No, sweetie, no it is not” Rosita spoke calmly as she guided the woman toward the car.

“Hurry!” Nicole rushed by them with Wynonna in her arms. She made it to the car first and waited for Rosita to pull the back door open before she climbed in carefully. She laid Wynonna out across the backseat and held her head gently in her lap.

“Come on, get in” Rosita motioned for Waverly to climb into the passenger side seat. She then rushed around to the driver side and it was only a matter of seconds before they were screeching out of the parking lot and toward the hospital.

“I am so sorry” Waverly was turned around in her seat facing the back. Tears were streaming down her face as she stared at her sister.

“It’s not your fault” Nicole shook her head as her eyes lifted to look at the woman. “It was an accident. She didn’t see the cement block. No one is to blame. I’m just glad we were there for her.”

“She’s going to blame me. She is going to hate me” Waverly was still sobbing as she tried to wipe at her eyes.

“Then let her” Nicole nodded as her hand lifted to lightly touch at Waverly’s cheek. “You did nothing wrong and if she wants to direct her anger at you there is nothing you can do.”

“Now is really not the time for a therapy session, guys!” Rosita yelled as she glanced in the rearview mirror at Nicole. She smirked to herself before her eyes focused back on the road. She had so many questions for Waverly but she knew it was not the time nor place for those just yet.

Nicole nodded at Rosita then looked back at Waverly. She gave her a calm smile and spoke very evenly “She is going to be okay. Let’s just focus on that.”

Waverly nodded and wiped her nose before her eyes dropped to look at her sister. Her heart was aching. She had been trying her entire life to help Wynonna and despite her best efforts nothing worked. She could only hope this would be a wake up call. If Wynonna ever woke up at all.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Nicole watched her fingers tap together where they dangled between her knees. She sat on a chair in the waiting room of the local emergency room with her forearms on her thighs and her hands hanging loosely in the space between her legs. She kept her eyes on her hands because across from her sat a very suspicious looking Rosita and she was not ready to answer any of her questions.

It was somewhere between midnight and sunrise and they had only gotten one update on Wynonna’s condition. The update had come shortly after their arrival. She was alive, unconscious, but stable. They were running tests and scans to see how extensive the damage had been. That was hours ago. Since then the three of them had taken up residence in the waiting room.

It had taken a while to calm Waverly down but the other two had managed to do so. She was asleep now. She had her head in Rosita’s lap and was laid out across a few empty chairs. Luckily it seemed to be a slow night in the E.R. so it was fairly quiet. Since Waverly had fallen asleep Nicole had been actively avoiding Rosita because she could see the girl was brimming with curiosity.

She glanced at her watch and let out a sigh. They had been up all night and she was starting to feel the exhaustion setting in. So she pushed herself to her feet and finally lifted her eyes to look at Rosita. She offered her a crooked smile then motioned behind herself “I think I am going to find some coffee and maybe something to eat. Do you want anything?”

Rosita smirked. It was the first time Nicole had acknowledged her existence since Waverly had fallen asleep. She had a feeling she knew why but she also liked seeing people squirm around her so she had gladly sat in silence in order to allow Nicole to bask in her discomfort. So when Nicole actually spoke to her she had to fight off her own amusement. She simply gave a nod to the woman then motioned to Waverly in her lap “Maybe something for all of us would be great.”

“No problem” Nicole gave a nod as her eyes fell to the sleeping woman. Her gaze softened and even if she was trying her damndest not to give away what was going on between herself and Waverly her look in that moment betrayed her. It was painted all over her face. She quickly blinked it away and turned in the direction that she thought the cafeteria was in without another word. 

Rosita gave a laugh and watched the girl go. She was quiet for a moment, her eyes dropping to Waverly in her lap, before she let out a heavy sigh. She sat in relative silence as she watched her best friend sleep for a few minutes. Her fingers combed through the soft waves of her hair in her lap a few times before she whispered to her “You have so much explaining to do.”

Just then Waverly stirred. She let out a soft groan as her body woke and realized she had been sleeping on very hard chairs. She let out a yawn before her eyes blinked open. That is when she remembered that she was in the hospital. The events of the night came back to her and she quickly sat up. She looked around wided eyed before she focused on Rosita beside her. She blinked and after a moment she shook her head “You let me fall asleep?”

“Chill” Rosita let out a soft laugh and lifted a hand to calm whatever panic was about to come from her friend. “I would have woken you if there was any news. You needed the rest.”

Waverly wasn’t very happy that they had let her fall asleep even if Rosita was right. She let out a heavy sigh and looked around. She took a moment to let her eyes take in her surroundings before she perked an eyebrow and looked back to her friend “Did Nicole leave?”

“She went to find something to eat” Rosita smirked at the fact that her friend almost immediately brought up the subject of Nicole. She was glad they were alone. She was going to make the most out of this opportunity “Speaking of a certain gorgeous redhead, what is going on there?”

“I don’t…” Waverly blushed and shook her head immediately. Her eyes fell to her lap and she bit back a smile. She remembered Nicole telling her she was a bad liar and she knew she would not get away with trying to deny anything was happening to her best friend. So she let out a sigh and looked back up at Rosita with a shrug “I have no idea.”

“No?” Rosita perked an eyebrow as her amusement started to rise in her smile. “Because I think I have an idea.”

Waverly rolled her eyes at her friend’s mocking tone before shaking her head “Well if you’re so smart…” She motioned to her expectantly as if waiting for her to fill in the blanks.

“I think you two are sharing the same lipstick shade tonight” Rosita laughed out softly and motioned to her own lips. “I am also dying to know how that happened and why you didn’t tell me!”

“I…” Waverly coughed the word out as her face was taken over by a blush again. She let out a heavy breath and tried to shake away the heat rising inside her. After a moment she just shrugged and focused on her friend again “I don’t even know how it happened, Rosita. The first time I met her she was so annoying! Then all of the sudden she was everywhere and I was trying to be annoyed by her but instead I was…” She flicked her hand out as if waiting for the right word to fall into her palm. When that didn’t happen she just let her hand drop against her lap before shrugging again “....She’s sweet.”

“And hot as Hell” Rosita snorted and motioned in the direction that Nicole had disappeared in. “I can’t say I blame you, Waves.”

Waverly rolled her eyes and tried to act annoyed at her friend’s enthusiasm but she couldn’t really sell it. Her lips curled into a soft smile and her head nodded once “So sexy, Rosita. It’s like I don’t have control of my impulses around her.”

“So you guys…?” Rosita danced her eyebrows up and down suggestively while using her hands to make the universal signal for sex by poking an index finger from one hand through a circle made with her fingers on her other hand.

“No!” Waverly squeaked and swatted her friend’s hands away. She let out a bashful laugh as her head shook back and forth quickly “No we didn’t make it that far.”

“But you want to?” Rosita’s face was a little more serious now.

Waverly bit her lip almost shyly before giving another quick nod “Yeah I think so.”

“Dude” Rosita let out a soft laugh and nudged Waverly with her shoulder. Her head shook in amusement for a moment as she let her laugh die down. When her eyes lifted back to her friend she held a mischievous smirk “I guess I’m just bummed your experimental phase didn’t happen while we were in college.”

Waverly couldn’t help the loud laugh that burst through her lips. She quickly slapped a hand over her mouth to stop the rest from rising out. Her head gave a slight shake and she reached out to nudge her friend gently with her other hand. As her laugh died she let her hand fall and reveal that she was smiling widely “You know I love you.”

“Yeah, yeah” Rosita waved a hand to the side as if batting away the notion Waverly had just spoken. “I guess I am not your type. Can’t say I blame you…” She once more motioned toward where Nicole had walked away and nodded “Tall, sculpted, sensitive redhead is definitely more alluring.”

“Hey” Waverly frowned and grabbed hold of her friend’s face. She cupped both her cheeks and pulled until Rosita was looking at her. She perked an eyebrow and nodded once “You’re beautiful and alluring and most definitely sexy. I have seen you in your underwear. I know.”

The girls both shared a laugh at that. 

“This has nothing to do with sex” Waverly whispered more seriously as her hands dropped from her friend’s face. She reached down to take hold of one of Rosita’s hands and gave it a squeeze “There’s something about her that I’ve never experienced with anyone else. It’s almost like we were meant to meet. Like it was an inevitability.”

“You’ve got it bad, babe” Rosita gave her friend a wink and laughed very softly. She had never seen her best friend like this. The few boyfriends Waverly had been with over the years had never gotten this sort of response from her. She could simply see it in her friend’s eyes how special her connection with Nicole was and that warmed her heart.

Waverly blushed again but she had no time to shake it off. As soon as she looked away from her friend she saw Nicole coming back toward them. She felt her cheeks blaze hotter and she drew in a deep breath to try to fight the flutter that had flared up in her stomach. She tried to push it down and put on a smile as Nicole came over to them “There you are.”

“You’re up” Nicole smiled softly and again her face gave away just how much she cared for the girl. “How did you sleep?”

Waverly just shrugged because, honestly, she didn’t know. So she waved it off then motioned to what Nicold held “Find something good?”

“I have no idea” Nicole looked at what she had in her hands and let out a laugh. “I am a little hesitant to taste the coffee…” She extended her hand toward the other two in a gesture of handing over the drink holder that had three cups in it. “But I figured the pre-packed muffins were a safe bet” She motioned to the little brown bag she held in her other hand.

“I am going to go take a piss” Rosita smirked as she took a coffee from the drink holder then pushed herself to her feet. She eyed Nicole up and down just once before giving a little nod of approval. She then turned and walked off in the first direction she could find that led away from the other two.

Nicole watched Rosita go before looking curiously at Waverly. She motioned to the woman before letting out a soft breath of a laugh “She’s interesting.”

“She knows about us” Waverly motioned toward where Rosita had walked away and let out a heavy sigh. 

Nicole perked an eyebrow slightly and looked in the same direction as Waverly. She then slowly looked at where the girl was sitting and eyed her carefully, as if trying to read how she felt about that, before she finally gave a single nod “What about us?”

Waverly felt herself blush. She rolled her eyes slightly and looked down at her coffee cup as if it were the most interesting thing in the world “That we have something going on” She mumbled as her finger ran around the outside of the lid of her cup.

“What was that?” Nicole asked softly as she slowly moved to sit next to Waverly now because she had not really heard what she had said. She dipped her head slightly in an attempt to get the girl to look at her. When she did, a soft laugh came from Nicole’s lips and she perked an eyebrow “She knows that we’ve made out a little?”

Waverly gave a little nod at that.

“So?” Nicole breathed out a laugh as her hand reached out to gently lift Waverly’s chin. She held her eyes up to her own and gave a nod. “Why does it matter?”

“I don’t know” Waverly shook her head slightly and pulled her chin out of Nicole’s touch. She bit at her lower lip for a moment while she thought over what she wanted to say. She finally just sighed and focused a little more seriously on Nicole “I guess I wanted to figure out what was going on before anyone knew? Because people will have questions and if I haven’t figured it out what am I supposed to tell them?”

“To mind their own damn business” Nicole shook her head as she spoke. “Waverly, you don’t owe any sort of explanation about your life to anyone. If you choose to share parts of your story with people that is your own decision. People will always expect details as if they deserve them but no one has any right to your life but you.”

“But she’s my best friend” Waverly motioned again in the direction that Rosita had left the room.

“So?” Nicole shrugged as her hand reached out to gently rest it against Waverly’s shoulder. “You still don’t owe her anything. But I am sure you shared with her because you wanted to. Because it’s a part of your life that you trust her to be included in.”

“I guess so” Waverly sighed the words out softly. “But, I don’t know, I just….” She shrugged as her eyes dropped back to her coffee cup. “I’m still so confused about it all that I don’t even know what to say to her.”

“It’s okay” Nicole nodded as her hand moved away from Waverly altogether. She felt like maybe the girl was starting to pull back and she did not want to make her uncomfortable. So she wrapped both hands around her coffee cup and held tightly so she wouldn’t touch her again. “You don’t have to have it all figured out, okay? And we don’t have to do anything more if it’s only gonna keep confusing you.”

Waverly frowned because Nicole seemed so defeated. The last thing she wanted to do was push her away but it was a defense mechanism she didn’t realize she had until very recently. Sitting there now, though, she could see she was doing it and she knew it was because of what had just happened to Wynonna. She let out a heavy sigh and her hand moved to lay on Nicole’s knee. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to sound like I didn’t want to continue….” She motioned to herself then to Nicole before shrugging. “I think I am just a little freaked out about my sister.” 

“I get it” Nicole nodded quickly as her hand reached to cover the one of Waverly’s that sat on her knee. “It’s a lot to handle and family should most definitely take priority. You should totally focus on that.”

“No, I mean….” Waverly let out a sigh because she didn’t feel like she was making sense. She was tired and worried and confused and everything was coming out wrong. Her hand turned over under Nicole’s to allow for her fingers to slide through and take ahold of her hand. She gave a squeeze as she fixed a firm gaze on the other woman “I meant it when I said I really like you. But I also don’t want to drag you into all of this…” She used her hand that held her coffee to motion gently around the E.R. and shrugged “...you don’t need any of this.”

“I meant what I said in the car earlier, Waverly” Nicole set her coffee between her legs then lifted that hand and used it to tenderly tuck some of the girl’s messy strands behind her ear before her thumb gently caressed along her cheek “You don’t have to go through this alone. I’m here if you want me.”

There was that look again. The look of absolutely pure and unadulterated care. It made Waverly’s heart jump into her throat. Suddenly she was overwhelmed with emotion. The worry and shame and anguish about her sister swelled inside her. All of the incredibly surprising things Nicole made her feel rose. The two seas of emotions clashed and it was too much in that moment for Waverly to handle. Her lip trembled and a tear fell from her eye before she could help it. No one had been on her side so completely without hesitation the way Nicole was and she wasn’t sure she knew how to deal with that.

Nicole didn’t say anything. She could only imagine everything that was swirling around inside of Waverly’s head. So instead of speaking she opened her arms and let the girl fall into her embrace. She let out a heavy sigh as she wrapped her in her arms. She touched a kiss to the top of her head and relaxed against the chairs. It broke her heart that this amazing woman who had completely consumed her every thought so effortlessly was so broken inside. She would do whatever she could to make sure she felt as much happiness as possible. Even if nothing more than friendship developed between them she would be by her side whenever she needed. It was who she was. She was an all in type of person and with Waverly she had not been given a choice. The moment she had rushed into her office and scolded her for touching her shotgun was the moment she had been drawn in for good. She was helpless and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Nicole tried to look at her watch but the numbers blurred together. She was so exhausted that it was hard to focus on anything. She closed her eyes for a few seconds in hopes that the burning would subside. When she reopened them she looked at her watch again. This time she was able to see the time and she let out a sigh of relief. It was finally time for her to call it a day.

She had gone straight to work from the hospital. She had patients she had to see. Rosita and herself had helped to reschedule some of Waverly’s patients that had appointments that day. Most of them were alright with coming in another time but the ones that needed to be seen had been taken on by some of the other counselors or therapists in the office. Everyone rallied around Waverly and tried to help while she stayed at the hospital with her sister.

Since they had come straight from the hospital, Rosita and Nicole still had Waverly’s car. This also meant they had to ride together after work. Nicole waited outside now, leaning back against the hood of Waverly’s car, checking her phone for updates while she waited for the other woman to finish for the day.

“Sorry, sorry, had some last minute notes to finish” Rosita rushed over to the car with her hands up as if she were stopping any sort of annoyance that might come at her from Nicole.

“Totally cool” Nicole shrugged and offered the woman a smile. She waited until the door was unlocked before she slid into the passenger seat and buckled her seatbelt. “So I kind of live…” She motioned in a vague direction and shrugged again “...it might be better if you just went back to your place first.”

“Waverly wants you to bring her some clothes and….” Rosita handed over a leather briefcase bag with a nod “...that. I am going to stop by for a bit but I can’t stay all night again.”

“Oh” Nicole looked down at the bag and a soft smile came to her lips. She was going to catch a ride with Rosita to the hospital and sit with Waverly a bit but now it seemed she had been tasked with a more important role. This meant that Waverly wanted her there. She couldn’t help the way that made her feel. 

Rosita glanced at Nicole as she pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward the building that she and Waverly lived in. She was quiet for a moment before that was way too much to handle and she finally let out a soft laugh “She likes you. You don’t have to worry about that.”

“I’m not-” Nicole looked up with surprise on her face at the subject matter. She had to admit she liked that Rosita did not beat around the bush. She rolled her eyes and looked back at the bag she held. She let out a soft sigh before she spoke “She’s going through a lot and I don’t want to overwhelm her.”

“I can assure you that Waverly Earp performs exceptionally well when her plate is full to the brim” Rosita glanced at Nicole again. “This thing with her sister is nothing new and, yeah, it sucks that she takes all the blame but she is so used to it I don’t think she even realizes how terrible it is. She just takes it in stride. She always has.”

“She shouldn’t have to” Nicole frowned and shook her head quickly.

“No shit. I’ve tried telling her that a thousand times but…” Rosita just shrugged as her head shook in disappointment “...I’m too close to it all, you know? Been around a lot of years so I think she just assumes I am trying to protect her because we’re friends. But you…” She perked an eyebrow and looked at Nicole fully. She let her eyes move up and down her form once before she looked back to the road with a nod “You have no business being as patient and understanding and real as you are with her and yet, you are. I think she needs that. She needs a total outsider to open her damn eyes. What is going on is not okay.”

Nicole’s eyes fluttered in surprise at what she heard. She didn’t know that it was this bad. She just figured that Waverly, a little self-involved and focused on her work, had kind of just been unlucky with the fact that her sister was an addict. She didn’t realize it had been an issue for years. Not to the degree that Rosita was insinuating, at least.

They pulled into the building parking lot just then and once Rosita pulled to a stop they both exited the car without another word. They walked together into the building and up a few flights of stairs. Once on the third floor Rosita turned and offered out the keys to Waverly’s car. She nodded to a door at the end of the corridor and smiled “302.”

“Thanks” Nicole nodded and took the keys from her hand gently.

“I’m at the other end, 304, if you need me” Rosita motioned behind herself toward the other end of the corridor. “I’m going to get changed and all that shit then head out. If you’re done before me go ahead and just take her car. I have my own.”

“Yeah, totally” Nicole’s smile was a little more genuine now. She gave a little jingle of the keys before she turned in the direction of Waverly’s condo.

“Hey, Nicole” Rosita called out urgently but softly. When the woman turned to look at her she gave a single nod as her face curled into a more stern look “She’s great at taking care of other people but she forgets to do it for herself. Will you make sure to remind her?”

Nicole’s heart almost broke at the look of concern on Rosita’s face. She could see the years of worry her friend held in her eyes. She gave a single nod at the words before answering softly “Absolutely.”

“And if she refuses” Rosita added quickly, almost desperately, as if she were afraid Nicole would walk away and not hear her plea “Do it for her?”

Nicole’s head nodded quickly and her face was overcome by the look that completely unnerved Waverly. The look that told anyone who might see it just how much she cared for the woman “Like my life depends on it.”

The relief that flooded Rosita’s face was obvious. She gave a single nod of approval at the answer before she motioned behind her again as if silently telling Nicole she was leaving. She then turned and headed for her door as a smile slowly crept over her features. She had never trusted anyone but herself to take care of Waverly. Until now.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Nicole knocked very softly on the hospital room door that she had been directed to. She waited until she heard an answer for her to come in before she turned the handle and pushed the door open. When she saw Waverly sitting at her sister’s bedside looking tired it nearly broke her heart. She tried not to frown, though. Instead she put on a smile and spoke softly “I have the things you asked for.”

“Thank you” Waverly gave a nod as she got up from the chair she had been sitting in longer than she could say. She went over to take the briefcase and the other bag that held her clothing from Nicole. She lifted onto her toes and laid a soft kiss against her cheek before turning away from her to return to her chair.

“Any news?” Nicole glanced at Wynonna in the bed as her hands pushed awkwardly into the pockets on the pants she wore that day.

“All scans came back clean. She has a little swelling near where her head hit the ground but no bleeding or anything” Waverly nodded as she set the bag of clothing on the chair and started to dig through it. “They think the drugs in her system are the thing preventing her from waking up. So as soon as they can flush those out they expect her to open her eyes.”

“How long do they think that’ll take?” Nicole hadn’t really moved further into the room. She was still playing it safe. Although Rosita had insisted that Waverly had asked for her specifically to gather her things she did not want to take that as anything more than a favor. She did not want to push, she did not want to be overwhelming, so she hung back until she knew her presence was welcomed.

“Depends on how much she was on” Waverly glanced up at Nicole now. She saw the way she was standing and a frown came to her lips. “I’m sorry. I know I am kind of hyper focused on her.” She motioned to another chair near where she stood pulling things out of her bag “Please, sit down.”

“I just wasn’t sure…” Nicole motioned to Wynonna then Waverly and shrugged “I wasn’t going to make myself comfortable if you preferred to be alone.”

“No” Waverly’s tone was softer now. She motioned again to the chair as her eyes settled tenderly on Nicole. “I want you here, Nicole. That’s why I asked you to bring me some stuff.”

Nicole gave a quick nod and moved toward the chair. She stopped, though, and turned to move closer to Waverly. She reached out to touch her shoulder when she drew close enough to her. As her eyes fixed on her she spoke softly again “Why don’t you go take a shower and change. Have you eaten today?”

“I’m fine. I-”

“Waverly” Nicole spoke firmly and gave her head a shake. She motioned to where Wynonna was still unmoving in bed before letting out a sigh. “I know you’re worried but she’s in good hands. If anything goes wrong there is an entire staff of people here to help her.” She let her hand slide down from Waverly’s shoulder to her hand. She took a hold of it gently and gave a squeeze “Go take care of you for a few minutes.”

Waverly opened her mouth to argue but was stopped when she caught the firm look in Nicole’s stare. She let out a heavy sigh and threw her hands up in a motion of defeat “Fine, okay! But if anything happens you come get me.”

“You’re going to be right there” Nicole laughed lightly as she motioned to the small bathroom that was attached to the room.

“I don’t care. Poke your head in and yell at me” Waverly pointed at Nicole sternly. “Promise?”

“I promise” Nicole put a hand to her heart. “But you have to promise to take your time. Don’t rush through it. Give yourself some time to relax.”

“That wasn’t part of the deal” Waverly frowned and shook her head.

“It is now” Nicole folded her arms as if to show there was no arguing.

“You’re as stubborn as my sister” Waverly grumbled and rolled her eyes. She didn’t argue, though. She gathered some fresh clothes, the toiletries that she had asked Nicole to grab, and a towel before heading to the bathroom. She looked over her shoulder just as Nicole was settling in the chair closest to Wynonna’s bed. She felt her heart flutter. She had no idea why, or how, but she trusted Nicole with everything inside her. Maybe she could sense how innately good the woman was. Whatever the case may be, she couldn’t put into words how grateful she was to simply have companionship through this. She wasn’t sure she would be able to hold it together as well as she was if she didn’t have Nicole with her. It was weird for her to trust a stranger so easily but it had never been a question with Nicole. It just felt right so she was going to lean into that feeling and whatever came along with it. It was the first time in her life she had ever done that. 

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

“What are the rules to this game?” Waverly asked through a laugh as she looked at the hand of cards she had been dealt. Once she had gotten out of the shower she was surprised to find a pizza waiting for her already. Nicole explained that she had taken the liberty of ordering from the same place they had ordered from the night before. She said it was the only pizza she knew for sure Waverly liked and, well, they had kind of been robbed a pizza date. She also paid the delivery guy double and left a large tip since they had run out on their order the previous night.

They were now facing each other, each sitting on their own chair, with a small folding table sitting between them. Nicole had just dealt the cards to start a game and was trying to explain the rules. “It just like Go Fish.”

“Except there are different rules” Waverly motioned to the paper that Nicole had produced from her pocket after dealing the cards.

“Not different. Just…” Nicole motioned to the paper as well before letting out a soft laugh. “Extra rules.”

“You love rules so much” Waverly whispered and gave a teasing shake of her head.

“Hey, I think you’ll like these rules” Nicole gave a nod as she fought off a smirk. She set her cards face down and used both hands to smooth over the paper so it was easier to read from. She gave a little nod at that before picking up her hand again “So each card represents a different subject. Let’s say I have an ace. So I ask you if you have an ace. If you do…” She tapped the paper then looked at Waverly with a smile “You give me the card and I get to ask you about your deepest fear.”

Waverly let out a laugh as she slid the paper closer to herself. She read off some of the subjects and shook her head slightly “Fear, family, goals…” She perked an eyebrow as she glanced at Nicole with a smirk on her lips “Is this how you woo all the ladies?”

“I actually use it as an ice breaker with my patients sometimes” Nicole rolled her eyes and gave a laugh. “But if it’s wooing you, then…” She smirked and gave a nod of approval.

“It’s not” Waverly rolled her eyes as if she were annoyed but the smile on her lips told Nicole that she was not. She shrugged and looked down at her cards before adding “Yet.”

“Yet” Nicole mumbled with another smirk rising on her lips as she focused on her cards too. She gave a little nod and motioned across the table at Waverly “You go first.”

Waverly nodded as her eyes scanned her hand. She looked like she was deep in thought and after a few moments she glanced at the paper. She made a decision based on what numbers she had in her hand before she looked at Nicole and smiled softly “Do you have any threes?”

“I do” Nicole nodded and reached for the card in her hand. She handed it over with a smile on her face “You’ve earned a question.”

“Family” Waverly nodded in acknowledgement of the subject her card correlated to. She tapped at her chin a few times before perking an eyebrow and speaking almost timidly “What were your parents like?”

“Smart, driven, always on the go” Nicole didn’t hesitate to answer. She knew that Waverly had not been certain whether or not that question would be a sensitive subject to her but she would not have suggested this game if she was not willing to answer every question she was asked. “My dad traveled a lot for work. We got to go with him. He was some sort of financial guy” She shrugged because she had never really understood it. “My mom made soap and sold it online” She let out a laugh at that. 

“That sounds nice” Waverly smiled widely. Her parents sounded lovely.

“Okay…” Nicole, like she had done so many times before, focused on a new subject. She looked at her cards and after a moment decided on which one she would ask for “Do you have any eights?”

“Nope!” Waverly beamed and motioned to the pile. “Go fish.”

Nicole’s nose crinkled in disappointment and she huffed as she drew a card.

“Hmmm” Waverly tapped her fingers against her chin as she decided what to play next. She glanced at the paper again to see the subjects for each card before finally looking back across the table “Got any aces?”

“Damn it” Nicole let out a laugh and handed over her card. “I just drew that!”

“Happenstance” Waverly giggled as she took the card. After delicately laying it next to her other pair she looked back to Nicole “What is your greatest fear?”

“Spiders” Nicole answered bluntly before looking back at her hand. “Got any fours?”

“Go fish” Waverly shook her head quickly as her smile grew on her lips.

“I think I am terrible at this” Nicole chuckled and drew a card from the stack.

“How about a ten?” Waverly asked before Nicole had even finished drawing her card.

“Okay, you have got to be cheating” Nicole grumbled as she stuck the card she had just drawn in her hand before pulling out the ten she was holding.

“Beginner’s luck” Waverly bit her lip to fight off another amused smile. She kind of felt bad that Nicole hadn’t matched any cards yet.

“You’ve never played Go Fish before?” Nicole looked like she didn’t believe that.

“Not this version” Waverly shrugged then glanced at the paper. When she saw the subject that was attached to the number ten card she felt her heart flutter. She drew in a deep breath then fixed a soft gaze on Nicole “Have you ever been in love?”

Nicole didn’t even hesitate. She gave a single nod and spoke firmly “Yes.”

Now, Waverly knew that Nicole had lived an entire life before the two of them had met and she was certain the woman was referring to someone else but that did not stop her heart from taking flight in her chest. Maybe it was the intense look in her eyes when she had answered or the way she hadn’t hesitated but something inside Waverly almost ached for that certainty to have been about herself. 

The corners of Nicole’s lips flickered into a smile at the look on Waverly’s face. She could see her answer had affected her. She also knew that by moving on to the next subject it would allow the answer to linger in Waverly’s mind. Maybe that is exactly what she wanted. So she looked at her cards and her tone lightened as she took her turn. “How about seven?”

Waverly was still trying to reign in her beating heart as thoughts flew around her head. So when Nicole asked about her card she blinked in confusion. She focused on the other woman for a few beats before she realized she was moving on. She shook her head and looked at her cards but her brows creased together in a frown. She looked up at Nicole and sighed “Why do you always do that? Move on to a new subject so quickly, I mean. You never linger. You never elaborate. You just go forward.”

“I told you I don’t like to dwell. If I think a subject has been addressed I want to move forward” Nicole shrugged as her eyes settled on Waverly gently. “I figured if someone needs more information they will just ask. I’m an open book so I don’t feel the need to over explain anything. I answer what is asked of me and move on.”

“I have so many questions, though” Waverly breathed the words out before she realized she had even thought them.

“Then ask them” Nicole spoke just as softly without even blinking.

“Why did you move here?” Waverly blurted out.

“There was a job opening” Nicole shrugged at that.

“What were you running from?” Waverly perked an eyebrow. She had no idea where this sudden wave of bravery had come from but she was going to ride it.

“I…” Nicole stopped herself. Her eyes looked away from Waverly for the first time since she had answered the question about being in love. Her head gave a shake and it looked like she was preparing to speak about something she had not wanted to address. But she always urged Waverly to be honest so she had to honor that agreement as well. She nodded in silent acknowledgment of that and looked back up “I wasn’t running from anything, per se. But my work place was not ideal.”

“So?” Waverly shrugged “We’ve all worked places that we didn’t like.”

“My boss harassed me and when I reported him they didn’t do anything about it. When he found out I had reported him he decided to make my life a living Hell” Nicole’s eyes dropped back to her cards. She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly “He pretty much made it so I would never get another job in that town. He knew I needed a job with good benefits because of my leg.” She glanced back up for a moment before shaking her head “He handcuffed me, you know? I couldn’t quit because no one within a fifty mile radius would hire me. So I stayed and put up with it.”

“Oh my god, Nicole” Waverly felt herself starting to choke up with emotion. She couldn’t believe that this amazingly strong woman had been through something that horrible.

“One day I was randomly researching addiction because I was pretty sure one of my patients was abusing his pain medication but I wanted to be sure before I reported it” Nicole continued now as if she were afraid she wouldn’t get it all out if she paused. “That is when I came across a particularly moving and inspiring lecture on the Psychology of Addiction…” She perked an eyebrow now as she looked at the woman sitting across from her.

Waverly blinked at the lingering look and the way Nicole had trailed off. She stared at her with a little confusion for a moment before she breathed out a soft laugh and put a hand over her heart “You saw that?”

Nicole’s lips moved up into a slight smile and she gave a nod “It moved me. I watched it more times than I should admit to.”

“Why?” Waverly blushed but didn’t hide it. She just tried to laugh it off.

“Well, firstly, it was really informative and helped me convince my bosses that my patient was abusing his pain pills” Nicole let out a soft laugh at that. It died quickly though and she spoke more seriously as she continued “But mostly, you were so passionate that it completely captivated me.” She bit her lip and reached out a hand to lightly brush her fingers against Waverly’s arm “So I looked you up and it just so happened that the practice where you worked was in need of a physical therapist. So I took a shot.”

“You…” Waverly’s eyes fluttered and her breath caught in her throat. She was stunned. She would have never guessed what Nicole had been through. Even more so she had no idea the woman had been given the strength to leave her shitty job and move away from her home because of her. She gave her head a shake and let out a trembling breath “You came here because of me?”

“I applied here because of you” Nicole bit her lip nervously because she could not tell how Waverly was feeling in the moment. “I guess, yeah, I was drawn here by you.”

“Why?” Waverly asked before she realized it. She quickly shook her head at herself and tried again “I mean, I get why. It sounds like your life was terrible. But why not look for jobs this far from home before then?”

“It never occured to me before then” Nicole shrugged slightly. “I was terrified to leave a town I grew up in and start an entirely new life. But then I saw you and I just…” She let out a long, slow breath before her eyes once more fixed in that serious but tender gaze on Waverly “...I knew.”

“Knew what?” Wavely was barely able to breathe the words out. The intensity in Nicole was almost too much to handle.

“Where I was meant to be” Nicole’s hand moved now to cover Waverly’s. She wrapped her fingers tightly around the smaller hand and gave a tight squeeze “You saved me, Waverly Earp.”

Waverly’s hand trembled under Nicole’s touch. She felt tears swell in her eyes. Her entire body was overtaken with a wave of emotion that she didn’t fully comprehend. Before she could stop herself she was moving out of her chair and over to Nicole. She sat right on her lap, grabbed onto her face, and pulled her into an urgent kiss. It was brimming with desperation. She was trying with everything inside her to let Nicole feel what her words had done to her. No one had ever made her feel as important and worthy as Nicole just had. She needed her to feel that.

Nicole had barely had time to react. It was a good thing she had sharp reflexes or Waverly might have tipped them backwards in the chair with the force used to climb onto her lap. But Nicole managed to steady them on the wall with one hand as the other wrapped around Waverly’s waist to hold her tightly against her. She didn’t hesitate to return the kiss, even if it had stolen the breath from her lungs at first. She wouldn’t let that stop her from taking everything the kiss had to offer and letting it fully consume her.

Lost in the whirlwind of emotions the kiss held they nearly missed the groan that came from the hospital bed. But somehow it had penetrated the bubble they had slipped into and Nicole pulled away suddenly. She drew in a ragged breath and looked to her left. Her eyes went wide and she sat up a little straighter as she looked at Waverly excitedly “Did you hear that? I think she’s waking up!”

“What?” Waverly breathed out in disbelief. Her eyes shifted to her sister and that is when a second groan came from the bed. She jumped out of Nicole’s arms as she closed the small space between them and the bed. “Oh my god” Her breathing was labored, a mix of excitement and the pure intensity of the kiss, as she glanced back at Nicole “Go get a nurse or doctor or something!”

Nicole scrambled to her feet, which was a little harder than she thought because her good leg was a little weak from the kiss. She managed to stumble upright to the door and pull it open so fiercely it was a surprise it didn’t pop off the hinges. She stuck her head out of the room and yelled “Can we get some help in here? I think she is waking up!”

Waverly was already crying. She held tightly to her sister’s hand and nodded each time Wynonna groaned “I’m right here, Wynonna. I got you. Open your eyes. Please just open your eyes.”

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.


	5. Sleepless nights you creep inside of me

Nicole was surprised to see Waverly outside of Wynonna’s room when she returned to the hospital after work the next day. Even though her sister had woken up she had wanted to stay by her side for at least one more day before returning to work. She wanted to be there for her sister as much as possible to show that she did in fact love her and want to help her despite what she had been yelling the night she had injured herself.

So when Nicole came around the corner and saw that Waverly was not by her sister’s bedside she perked an eyebrow and slowed her pace. She quietly approached the woman sitting on a chair outside her room and cleared her throat to announce her presence so as not to startle her. She could see the woman was concentrating on whatever paperwork she had in her hands. “Hey.”

Waverly looked up when she heard the soft voice. Her concentrated brow that had furrowed together now melted and a soft smile came to her lips. She looked Nicole over once and, although she was mentally and emotionally drained, she managed to produce a little flutter in her stomach at the sight of the woman. “You’re back early.”

“I had a light schedule today” Nicole shrugged and moved to sit next to Waverly now that she knew she was there. She placed the small potted plant she had in her hands on her legs and glanced at the paperwork Waverly held. “So what’s all that?”

“It’s…” Waverly motioned to the stack of papers she was flipping through before letting out a heavy sigh. “Care guidelines and disclosures for treatment and insurance” She shrugged and looked back to Nicole. That is when she saw the potted plant and her lips turned into a small smile “What’s that?”

Nicole’s eyes dropped to the small plant with a barely budding white flower on it. She smiled and picked up the plant so that Waverly could see it a little better “This is a Boneset. It has a long history in early medicine of treating wounds and broken bones. It also symbolizes protection, regeneration, and strengthening.” She gave a little shrug as she looked from the plant to Waverly “I thought your sister could use all the good vibes she could get.”

Waverly, who had barely slept and was already emotionally exhausted, teared up immediately. Her head gave a shake as she reached out to place her hand over Nicole’s “How did I get lucky enough to have you come into my life right when I needed it the most?”

“Kismet” Nicole whispered as she set the plant back on her lap in order to free her hand. She lifted her now empty hand to Waverly’s cheek and started to sweep away the tears that had started trickling out of her eyes. “Did you sleep at all last night?”

Waverly quickly shook her head and used her hand to wipe under her nose with the tissue she had been clutching there for what seemed like days. She dropped her eyes to where her hand was over Nicole’s and let out a defeated sounding sigh. “She’s been in and out of sleep. I just wanted her to see me by her side every time she woke up so she knew I was there for her.”

“She’s crazy if she doesn’t know how much you love and care about her” Nicole’s other hand slid out from under Waverly’s in favor of lifting to her face. She cupped gently at both sides of her cheeks and drew her eyes up. When their gazes met she nodded just once, firmly, to leave no mistake that what she was about to say was completely sincere “You have been more generous in this situation than most would be. You’ve never given up on her. You’ve loved her completely in spite of her every attempt to push you away. There is nothing more that you can do as a sister, as a human being, than continuing to love her like you do. You have to know that.”

“I can’t…” Waverly was overwhelmed by tears now. She shut her eyes in hopes that the stinging would stop for just a few seconds. She was tired. She was worn thin. Every part of her mind, body, and soul needed some rest. But she felt like her back was against the wall. 

“You can” Nicole assured her with another firm nod even though Waverly’s eyes were closed. She let out a heavy sigh as she guided Waverly’s forehead to her lips. She placed a firm kiss there before releasing her head altogether. She then reached down to take the papers that were laying against Waverly’s lap. “Let’s put this aside for a while and get you some rest.”

“Oh, no, I…” Waverly reached for the papers as her eyes came open but Nicole had already taken them out of her reach. She gave her head a shake as she wiped at her eyes “There are a few forms I need to fill out, still.”

“They can wait” Nicole nodded and tucked the papers behind herself on the side furthest from Waverly. “They are keeping her here for 72 hours, right? You already agreed to that so anything else they might need from you isn’t urgent. It can wait.”

“There’s a...” Waverly motioned to where Nicole had hidden the papers from her and let out another heavy sigh. Her eyes dropped and she took a moment to compose herself. She gave a nod as if convincing herself she could say what needed to be said as her eyes lifted and she focused back on Nicole “...they are monitoring her here the first 72 hours of her withdrawal. They agreed not to send her to jail after they release her as long as she enters rehab. But…” She glanced at the plant in Nicole’s lap and shrugged “...I know Wynonna won’t agree to rehab so they are trying to get me to admit her against her will.”

“Woah, wait” Nicole held up a hand to indicate she needed Waverly to pause for a moment. She stared at her with confusion for a few seconds before shaking her head “Why are they going to send her to jail?”

“I don’t want them to” Waverly shook her head quickly to show she was against the idea “but after I gave my statement about what happened they said they could charge her with assault for shoving me to the ground and laying hands on you.”

“I won’t press charges” Nicole put a hand on her chest to indicate herself and shook her head.

“I know. I won’t either” Waverly waved her hand to the side in a sort of defeated flick. “But the hospital said releasing her after she physically harmed someone is a liability. So she either goes to jail for three months or she has to enter rehab for a minimum of thirty days.”

“Okay” Nicole nodded as all the information set it. It did kind of make sense. She wasn’t an expert on the law but there was definitely some reasoning behind it that she understood. “Well, have you talked to her? Maybe, given the options, she’ll choose rehab.”

“Jail doesn’t scare her” Waverly brushed the idea off with a roll of her eyes. “She can still get drugs there. She can also make new connections for new supplies when her old dealers refuse to sell to her because she already owes them a lot of money.”

“Alright” Nicole nodded again to show she was listening. The wheels in her head were churning as Waverly filled her in on everything.

“I know she would rather die than go to rehab” Waverly bit her lip to fight off another wave of emotion. She was so frustrated with all of this. “So I feel like forcing her to go under a court order is my only option.”

“Let me try” Nicole blurted out before she realized it. 

“What?” Waverly had been caught off guard by the idea and it showed on her face. 

“She doesn’t remember me” Nicole put a hand to her chest now and shrugged. “When she woke up she asked who I was, again, remember? We never answered because the doctor stepped in to talk to her.”

Waverly nodded just once to confirm she was listening but the look on her face was growing more and more expectant as she waited for Nicole to get to the point.

“So I go in there in a white coat and a clipboard and I sit down and I run over her options” Nicole motioned to the door of Wynonna’s room as she spoke “Tell her I’m a therapist, which is not a lie, and I was sent in to discuss options, which is also not a lie.” She grabbed the paperwork from behind her back now and held it up to emphasize her plan “So maybe I tell her she could be in solitary confinement for three months if she chooses jail. I remind her that withdrawal without medical assistance is excruciating and highlight all the positives about entering rehab over jail.”

“She wouldn’t be in solitary” Waverly gave a shake of her head.

“That is why I use the word could” Nicole smirked a little at that. “Because there is always a chance that she could, maybe one day, end up there.”

“That’s…” Waverly frowned a little as she thought about it. She didn’t want to lie to her sister. She didn’t want her to feel tricked into rehab because she knew the program would never work that way. But she also did not want her sister going to jail. Finally she released a sigh “What if she still chooses jail?”

“Then she does” Nicole frowned as she reached over to take hold of Waverly’s hand. “But we’ve got to try.”

“We’ve?” Waverly perked an eyebrow at the word. Her heart immediately started to thunder in her chest. Nicole had not once hesitated in offering her help throughout this situation and it still overwhelmed Waverly every time that sentiment held true.

“We” Nicole gave a firm nod as her face softened into a slight smile. “I told you I’m here to help as long as you want me.”

Waverly bit her lip to once more fight back tears. There was a part of her that wanted to scream out that she wanted Nicole around forever. She knew it seemed crazy. She had barely known the woman just over a week but they had become intertwined so quickly that it seemed almost impossible for her to ever imagine Nicole not with her. Perhaps, though, she was just clinging to the strength she found in the other woman. Strength that she did not feel she possessed herself. Maybe after all of this was said and done she would see that she really didn’t want Nicole around at all. 

She shook the last of her thoughts away because they sounded terrible to her. So instead she reached out and put a hand on Nicole’s cheek and looked into her eyes as she spoke “I want you here.”

“Then I’m here” Nicole nodded into Waverly’s touch. Her eyes closed and she let herself be comforted by the smaller hand against her face. She knew that it probably seemed irrational to anyone on the outside looking in that the two of them were already so invested in one another but it didn’t matter to her. She didn’t care what others thought. She cared about what she thought and what she felt to be true and in her heart she knew without a doubt that she was right where she was supposed to be. Maybe down the line that would change but she didn’t think about that. She focused on the here and now. Her here and her now was Waverly Earp.

~.~.~.~.~.~.

Nicole drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She ran a hand over the front of her white lab coat to smooth it out. She had not worn her stereotypical doctor white lab coat since her days in residency. She liked her patients to feel comfortable, as if they were on a level playing field, and she felt the white coat had a tendency to intimidate people. So she had stopped wearing it as soon as she finished her education and been hired on for a real job. It felt surreal to be wearing it again. But she felt like it might help Wynonna listen a little better if she looked like a typical doctor. She had no idea why she thought so but it couldn’t hurt at this point, right?

After gathering her nerves she finally pushed the door to Wynonna’s room open and stepped inside. She moved slowly, not wanting to startle or wake her if she had drifted back to sleep. She cleared her throat to get Wynonna’s attention and was relieved to see her respond by turning her head at the sound “Good evening, Wynonna.”

Wynonna’s brows furrowed together. She looked less than pleased by the presence of yet another know-it-all doctor. Her hair was a mess, stuck around her face where it was soaked through with sweat. Her face looked pale. That was probably the nausea brought on by her withdrawal. Her eyes were red. Nicole didn’t know if that was from lack of sleep or from crying. She didn’t think Wynonna was a crier but then again she didn’t know her very well at all.

“My name is Nicole Haught. I’m a therapist. I’ve been sent here to-”

“Not interested” Wynonna’s voice grumbled hoarsely from her throat and she turned her face away from her visitor.

Nicole was not surprised at Wynonna’s disinterest. That didn’t stop her from frowning. Her heart was aching. She hated seeing people in pain. All she had ever really wanted to do was help people. Now, more than ever, she wanted to help this specific person. She cared so much. She was more involved than she should be but she was unable to detach. It was one of her vices.

“I wanted to go over your treatment options” She pushed forward with conviction in her voice. She would not be intimidated by Wynonna’s lack of manners.

“I already told them to send me to jail” Wynonna’s hoarse voice scratched out again.

“I know but have you consid-”

“Just leave me the fuck alone” There was a bite in Wynonna’s tone now as her head turned to throw a fiery glare at Nicole.

“You know what?” Nicole just shrugged and tossed the clipboard she had carried in with her onto the foot of the bed. “I was going to be nice to you but I can see that’s not going to work” She folded her arms and motioned to the clipboard “So here’s the deal, you’re-”

“Ohh they finally sent in the bad cop, huh?” There was a weak smirk of amusement that danced on Wynonna’s lips for a moment. She eyed Nicole over just once then shook her head and looked away “It’s not going to work. You wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

“You’re right” Nicole’s tone was firm and her glare set on Wynonna even if the woman wasn’t looking at her. “I’m not going to hurt you, you’re doing perfectly fine at that by yourself. What I am going to do is remind you that every time you take a drink or shoot up or pop a pill you’re not just destroying yourself but you are tearing apart the only person who still has your back.”

Wynonna rolled her eyes and looked back at Nicole with a bored look on her face “Waverly doesn’t give two shits about me.”

“No?” Nicole threw her hand behind her in the direction of the door to the room. The door that she knew Waverly was waiting on the other side of and gave her head a shake “Then why hasn’t she gone home? She hasn’t slept longer than a few minutes on and off since the moment you got here. She cries herself dry at the thought of you getting out of here and using again. She blames herself every single time you pour a shot down your throat. There hasn’t been a single moment since the day you dropped out of high school that she doesn’t think about what she could have said or done to save you.”

Wynonna tried to roll her eyes again but the motion didn’t carry as much disinterest as before. Her head shook as she stared at this random person who seemed to care way too much about all of this. After a moment she let out a soft snort and motioned toward Nicole the best she could with the cuff that was around her wrist, holding her to the bed “Who the Hell are you?”

“Someone who cares more about you than you deserve” Nicole softened her stance slightly but the bite in her tone was still there. She kept her narrowed eyes on Wynonna for a few more seconds before her face softened, too. She let out a sigh and motioned a little less feverishly toward the door of the room “I know you don’t care about destroying yourself. But you’re also destroying your sister and you don’t seem to give two shits about it.”

“Why should I?” The defensive bite returned to Wynonna’s tone.

“Because she has lived every single day of her life for you” Nicole nearly deflated as she breathed the words out in frustration. “She became who she is because of you. She has dedicated every second of her time to finding something, anything, that might help you. She has written dissertations and TED talks and entire books on the subject of addiction in an attempt to find the one key that could unlock you and let her in.”

Wynonna just shook her head now and quickly looked away. Maybe it was the fact that she was still in the middle of withdrawal which had heightened all her senses. Maybe it was because she was trapped and couldn’t run away at the moment. There was something inside her that had been brought to life by Nicole’s words. That part of herself that she kept locked away that still loved her sister seemed to have been jump started in that moment. She felt a tear slide out of her eye and onto the pillow where her head was laying. 

Nicole perked an eyebrow when she didn’t get a response. She stood still for a few long moments waiting for Wynonna to say something. When nothing came she slowly closed the gap between herself and the bed where she scooped up the clipboard she had tossed there. She cleared her throat and moved around the room to bring herself within Wynonna’s line of sight. When she spoke next it was tenderly and the look on her face was the same one she held for Waverly. Concern and immeasurable care for the person she was now looking at “She’s given you her life. I think the least you can give her is 30 days.”

Wynonna closed her eyes as another tear trickled out. She hated how she felt right now. Not only did her body feel physically exhausted from being sick for nearly 24 hours straight but her heart felt like it was caught in a vice grip. Though the drugs had not completely left her system she was no longer riding the high from them and she was actually able to feel everything she had been trying to escape by way of substance abuse. She couldn’t escape now, though. She was forced to face herself, her thoughts and feelings, and she absolutely hated it. She also felt desperate not to feel this way and she knew drugs were not the answer. 

When her eyes opened again she let out a shaky sigh. Her head nodded against her pillow and when she spoke it was groggy, as if through a bubble in her throat “I’m scared it won’t work.”

“It’s perfectly normal to be afraid” Nicole felt relief rush through her but she had to fight it for the moment. She had to be strong. As she settled in the chair beside the bed she kept her tone even and soft as she spoke “What matters most is what you do next.”

“I’ve disappointed her for so long” Wynonna’s groggy voice trembled as she spoke.

“I am not going to sit here and tell you it’s going to be easy” Nicole reached out and took hold of Wynonna’s hand. It was hard to do so through the slots in the bedside railing but it was the best she could do considering her wrists were cuffed to the bed. “It’s a lifelong battle, Wynonna. But I know you’re strong enough to fight it.”

“How do you know?” Wynonna puffed the words dripping in disbelief out.

“The way your sister talks about you” Nicole nodded honestly. “She sees so many good things in you. Considering she is one of the smartest people I’ve ever met I tend to believe her when she speaks so passionately about something.”

Wynonna couldn’t help the soft laugh that came out of her lips. She shook her head in slight amusement at that “She’s can be really annoying.”

“She loves you” Nicole smiled very slightly because she felt like maybe there was a little glimmer of hope. “I know she’s not going to give up trying to help you.”

Wynonna’s amusement faded as she at nodded Nicole. If there was one trait that carried through every generation of every Earp it was the stubbornness. She knew her sister would breathe her last breath trying to help her. She let out a sigh at the thought as her eyes focused back on Nicole “What if a month doesn’t work?”

“There are longer programs” Nicole nodded quickly but still spoke softly. “Or different places with different approaches. We won’t stop until we find what works for you.”

“We?” Wynonna’s eyebrow raised curiously on her forehead. “Who did you say you were?”

“Oh, I’m…” Nicole bit her lip and looked down at the clipboard she held in her lap. She drew in a deep breath as she thought about what word she would use. After a moment she looked back up and put a very soft smile on her lips “...a friend.”

“I thought you said you were a therapist?” Wynonna’s eyes narrowed now as she began to think she had been tricked.

“I am” Nicole nodded quickly and pointed to her name that was stitched into her white doctor’s coat. “And I am as dedicated to helping you as your sister is, okay?”

Wynonna eyed Nicole suspiciously for a few more moments. Then her defenses faded and she gave a nod. She turned her head against her pillow so she was looking at the ceiling. She was tired. She was sore from the tremors caused by withdrawal. She was nauseated and dizzy. She licked her lips and without looking back to Nicole she spoke hoarsely “Tell her I said I’d go. But I’d really like to try and get some rest now.”

“Of course” Nicole shot up from where she had been sitting. She was trying to contain her relief as she looked down at Wynonna. She eyed her for a moment then nodded quickly “I’ll let her know.” She moved toward the door but stopped just as she reached it. She turned around to look at the woman lying in the bed and she let out a soft sigh “I hope one day someone loves me as much as your sister loves you.”

Wynonna puffed out an amused sounding laugh and glanced at where Nicole stood “You keep doing shit like talking me into rehab and she’s bound to fall for you eventually.”

Part of Nicole knew that Wynonna was making a joke of how deeply her sister’s love went but that didn’t stop her heart from jumping into her throat. She had to draw in a breath to steady her trembling hand as she reached for the doorknob. She would consider herself the luckiest person alive if someone like Waverly Earp could ever love her. The idea seemed outrageously inconceivable. 

She tried to shake the idea from her mind as she pushed the door open and slipped out into the corridor of the hospital. She was greeted immediately by a very anxious looking Waverly. That is when she managed to smile and give the tiniest nod of her head “She said she’d go to rehab.”

“Wh-what?” Waverly stammered out in disbelief. She stared in awe at Nicole for a few long moments before her eyes fluttered quickly and her awe turned into a bright smile. She rushed over to her and gave a single nod “You got her to agree to go?”

“Yeah” Nicole sounded a little more sure of herself now. “She only agreed to thirty days at first but…” She shrugged and motioned weakly behind herself to the room she had just come from “Maybe she’ll give it a real shot and want to stay longer.”

“Oh my god!” Waverly launched herself at Nicole. She threw her arms around her neck and before she knew it she was crying in relief. Her face buried against Nicole’s shoulder as she lost herself in her sobs. She had not realized just how heavy her burden had been until she felt it lifted off her shoulders in that moment.

“It’s okay” Nicole nodded as her arms slid tenderly around Waverly as the girl collapsed against her. As one of her hands started to gently move up and down along Waverly’s back she started to whisper to the girl “It’s gonna be alright. She’s gonna get through this.”

“Thank you” Waverly’s face pulled back just enough to set her eyes on Nicole’s concerned face. She eyes were red, her nose running, but she didn’t care. She had never met anyone who was as innately good as Nicole was and she felt incredibly lucky to have her on her side. “Thank you for everything.”

“I didn’t really do much” Nicole admitted with a shrug. Her hand lifted and she pushed back some of Waverly’s bangs as a smile came to her lips “I honestly don’t even know how I got her to agree to go.”

“But you did and that is all that matters” Waverly lifted her hand and placed it gently over Nicole’s heart as she spoke firmly “You are one of the most amazing people I have ever met.”

Nicole shook her head to dismiss the words Waverly spoke. There was such an intensity in her eyes, in her tone, that it was just too much to handle. All she had done was what she would hope anyone else would do for her. She did not feel she needed to be praised for it.

“You have to let me say thank you” Waverly insisted with a nod. She stepped back, taking her hands completely away from Nicole, and giving her a crooked smile. “Please. Don’t say no.”

“Waverly, I-”

“I said don’t say no” Waverly laughed as her hand lifted to stop Nicole from brushing off the gesture. “Anything you want. It’s the least I can do.”

“Go on a date with me” Nicole blurted it out before she realized she had even thought about it.

Waverly blinked once in surprise. She wasn’t really surprised by what she had been asked but rather by how quickly it had come from Nicole’s lips. She bit her lip to fight a smile and perked an eyebrow on her forehead slightly “And how long have you been wanting to ask me that?”

“I’m sorry. I have no idea where that came from” Nicole gave a bashful laugh and tried to brush it off with a shrug.

“I thought you said you’re not a liar?” The eyebrow on Waverly’s forehead arched higher as an amused smirk grew over her lips.

“I-” Nicole tried to defend herself but stopped. She blushed bright red and let out a heavy sigh as her eyes dropped to the floor. “Okay, so I do know where that came from but I didn’t know I would blurt it out like that.”

"It is quite alright" Waverly assured her with a gentle laugh. She dipped her head down in an effort to catch Nicole's gaze that had fallen to the floor. When she succeeded she offered a very genuine smile "I would love to go on a date with you."

"Really?" Nicole looked up with a mix of surprise and relief in her face. 

"Why does that surprise you?" Waverly let out a breath of a laugh.

"I mean..." Nicole gestured toward Waverly, then herself, then lifted that hand in a shrugging motion "You've been a little uncertain about what's been going on between us so I'm surprised you don't have to think about it."

“Nicole, I…” Waverly glanced around them and realized that although no one was really eavesdropping on them they weren’t exactly alone either. So she grabbed onto Nicole’s hand and gently guided her over toward a wall near a few shelves that held gowns and other supplies. 

When they were a little more secluded she gently brought her gaze back to Nicole and spoke in a whisper “Nicole, I was a little nervous about what was happening because I’ve never felt like this about a woman. I was never uncertain about my feelings. I was just nervous about how to proceed with them. Does that make sense?”

Nicole gave a slight nod as her hand reached out to take hold of one of Waverly’s. She offered her a soft smile when their eyes met “Just out of curiosity….” She perked an eyebrow as a smirk slowly moved over her features now “...what exactly are your feelings?”

Waverly rolled her eyes but that didn’t stop a small smile from flickering onto her lips. She gave her head a slight shake and gently pushed a hand against Nicole’s chest to lightly back her up a few steps “How about we save that for our date?”

Nicole let out a soft laugh and lifted her hands in a motion of surrender as she stepped back from Waverly. She nodded slightly in agreement as her hands dropped and tucked into the pockets of the white lab coat she still wore “Fine but you are going to have to answer me then. No more avoiding the subject.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah” Waverly patted Nicole on the side as she stepped around her and moved back toward Wynonna’s room. She paused at the door and turned back to look at Nicole a few steps behind her. The smile on her face faded just slightly as she waited for the woman to draw closer. When she was within just a few feet she gave a nod “I hope you know I would have agreed to a date before all of this…” She motioned to the door of the room that held her sister and gave a nod.

Nicole gave a little nod as her gaze softened on the other woman. She eyed her over carefully before finally bringing her gaze up to meet Waverly’s soft eyes on her. The corner of her lips twitched into a smile and when she spoke it was in a breathy sigh “I’m really happy to hear that.”

Waverly’s smile grew a little bit. She let her eyes linger on Nicole for another moment longer before she reached for the door handle. “I’m going to spend a little time with her before I call it a night. You don’t have to stick around if you don’t want to.”

“I’d love to” Nicole nodded her head in a motion toward the door “I will give you two some alone time. But, please, let me know if there is anything I can do.”

“You’ve done more than I could have ever imagined” Waverly’s head shook but her smile held.

“My help is not finite” Nicole closed the small gap between them before leaning down to place a kiss on the top of Waverly’s head. She then stepped back and nodded once more before motioning vaguely in a different direction “Enjoy your time with your sister. I am going to go grab us a snack.”

“Thank you” Waverly bit her lip to fight her smile from growing even more. Her eyes flickered over Nicole as she turned and slowly walked away. She kept her eyes on her until she was completely out of sight. Once she was gone Waverly looked at the door to Wynonna’s room and slowly slid her finger along the handle. She drew in a deep breath to try and calm herself down. She couldn’t put into words exactly what Nicole meant to her. All she knew for sure was that she wasn’t sure she could live the rest of her life without the woman involved in it somehow. That was perhaps the most overwhelming feeling she was experiencing throughout all of this and that was what she was most uncertain about how to handle.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Two days after Wynonna agreed to go to rehab she was released by the hospital into Waverly’s custody. Nicole had agreed to drive the sisters to the facility so they could spend the last few moments together before Wynonna went into the program for the next thirty days. She currently sat in the driver’s seat, her eyes flickering from the road to the rearview mirror, and back again. A smile came to her lips as she watched the sisters interacting.

Wynonna glanced around the backseat of the car she sat in before looking up at Waverly beside her. She gave her a curious look before motioning weakly to the leather seats “Did you rent a fancy car to drive me to rehab?”

“No, I…” Waverly shook her head and glanced at Nicole in the mirror. She laughed softly and looked back to her sister with an amused shrug of her shoulders “This is Nicole’s car.”

“Of course” Wynonna looked at the driver of the car then back to her sister with the curious look still sitting on her features “Is she this thorough with all her patients or am I just a special case?”

Nicole bit her lip to hide a blush on her cheeks. Wynonna was definitely observant, that was for sure.

“She’s a friend” Waverly rolled her eyes and reached out to lay a hand over her sister’s knee. “She wanted to help.”

Wynonna let out a sputtering laugh that held a hint of disbelief. She looked between the other two women and when she saw Waverly eyeing her curiously she rolled her own eyes. She motioned to the back of Nicole’s head “I’ve seen the way you two make googly eyes at each other. Don’t sit here and insult me by telling me you two are just friends.”

“Wynonna, I…” Waverly’s cheeks burned a bright red that immediately negated any sort of denial she might try to make. So she just drew in a deep breath to try and calm herself down before shaking her head slightly.

“Uh huh. Thought so…” Wynonna’s lips curled into an arrogant smirk as she motioned between the two women again. “So when did this happen? How did it happen?” She shifted her focus back to her sister now and perked an eyebrow “How long have you liked girls?”

“Looks like we’re about there!” Nicole blurted out in an attempt to change the subject. Her cheeks were blazing hot so she could only imagine how badly Waverly was blushing. She glanced back in the rearview mirror and gave a nod “Just a few more blocks. Do you have everything you need to check-in, Wynonna?”

“A few blocks is plenty of time for Waverly to tell me all the details” Wynonna’s smirk grew because she could tell she had rattled both of them. Her eyes stayed steady on her sister and she gave an expectant nod at her “So? Cough it up. Do our parents know their perfect child has a dirty little secret?”

“First of all there is nothing dirty about being gay or…” Nicole shrugged and glanced at Waverly in the mirror “...bi or whatever.” She rolled her eyes and let her eyes shift to Wynonna in the mirror between glances at the road “Secondly, I don’t think you are in any position to cast any sort of judgement on your sister.”

“Hey, man, you’ve been involved for like three seconds so I don’t really think you have any business telling me what rights I have” Wynonna snarled the words as she leaned forward toward Nicole in an attempt to intimidate her. 

“Okay” Waverly sat up and put her hand on her sister’s chest in an attempt to get her to sit back. “Okay, she didn’t say you had no right so settle down.” She gave a firm shake of her head and set her sister with a glare “I don’t think anyone here was casting any judgement on anyone so can we all just chill out.”

Nicole let out a heavy sigh as she guided the car into the parking lot of the rehab facility. The last thing she had wanted to do was make the sisters argue. She wasn’t trying to butt heads with Wynonna but the woman was coming off of serious withdrawals so she was a bit on edge. She should have been a little more mindful of how she reacted to the woman’s playful prodding. 

As the car came to a stop Waverly focused on her sister again. She reached out to take hold of one of her hands and let out a soft sigh “Okay, are you ready for this?”

“No” Wynonna shook her head as her eyes lifted to look at the building in the distance. She blinked just once before her eyes focused back on Waverly “But if we wait until we’re ready we’ll never do anything of substance in life, right?”

A little smile came to Waverly’s lips at the words from her sister “So you do pay attention when I talk?”

“Sometimes” Wynonna tried to shrug it off as the corners of her lips lifted into a slight smile. It faded quickly and she gave a little nod now. She reached for the door of the car and hurried to get out. She was losing her nerve. If she didn’t get inside soon she would run.

Nicole had gotten out as soon as she had parked before moving to the trunk to get the small bit of luggage that Wynonna had packed. She didn’t have a lot of belongings. She sold most of her stuff for drugs. But she had managed to scrape together a small suitcase full of clothing and other essential things for her stay. Nicole had pulled the bag out and had it sitting on the curb waiting for Wynonna when she came around the car.

Waverly had climbed out when her sister did. She gave Nicole an appreciative smile before turning her attention back to Wynonna. She bit her lip to fight off the emotions she felt swelling inside. It was a mix of so many different feelings that she was trying to pin down. She settled on relief. She opened her arms and moved toward her sister now “Come here.”

“Oh man, please don’t” Wynonna rolled her eyes but stepped into her sister anyway. She let out a sigh as her arm slid around her waist and she gave a soft squeeze. “Please keep the tears to yourself until I’m inside. This is hard enough for me.”

“I’m sorry” Waverly choked out. She was trying to hold back her tears but it was a losing battle. So instead she just buried her face against her sister’s neck and did her best not to tremble as she sobbed.

Wynonna sighed and gave a few light pats to her sister’s back. She closed her eyes and held Waverly as she cried. Try as she might to stay numb she felt her heart breaking in her chest and soon a tear slid down her cheek.

Waverly finally managed to pry herself away from her sister. She quickly wiped at her face with both hands to sweep away as many tears as she could as she put a forced smile on her lips. She sniffled and gave a little shrug as she rocked up onto her toes “Do you have everything you need?”

“I’m not going to be on a deserted island” Wynonna quipped as she wiped a tear off her cheek. 

“Well if you need anything else you call me” Waverly nodded firmly as her hand reached out to rub along her sister’s arm a few times.

“I’m not really sure about the phone rules” Wynonna shrugged and motioned to the building they were standing in front of at the moment. “But you will be at the top of my call list once I figure it out.”

Waverly gave a quick nod and wiped under her eyes again because she felt more tears forming.

“Hey now” Wynonna shook her head and stepped up to her little sister again. She slid her thumbs under her eyes and put on a forced smile. The longer she stood here watching her sister cry the harder it was getting to fight off her own emotions. “I’m gonna be alright, babygirl.”

“I know” Waverly coughed out as she tried to smile. “You’re stronger than you think. I know you’re going to kick this rehab in the ass.”

Wynonna let out a sound that was a mix of a laugh and a sob. She quickly swiped at her eye when another tear found its way out onto her cheek again. “I will totally kick this rehab in the ass.”

“I love you and I am so proud of you” Waverly lunged at her sister and pulled her into another tight hug.

“I love you too” Wynonna grunted out through the firm hold her sister held on her. She slid both arms around her waist and returned the hug as tightly as she could. She gave a soft nod and for once let herself just enjoy the embrace from her sister.

It lasted a few seconds before Wynonna pulled back. She stepped away from her sister then reached for her suitcase that was nearby. She knew if she stood there any longer she would change her mind. So she gave a nod and glanced at her sister once more “I’ll see you soon.”

Waverly pulled her bottom lip between her teeth to fight off more tears as her head nodded in acknowledgment of her sister’s words. 

Wynonna dropped her head and finally started up the pathway to the facility. She knew she had to go in alone. She knew she had to be the one to sign the papers. She had to take these steps for herself to prove she really was serious about it.

“Oh, wait!” Nicole called out suddenly causing both sisters to turn and look at her in surprise. She realized she had just shouted suddenly and gave a sheepish shrug before stepping toward Wynonna. She held out the Boneset that she had taken to the hospital a few days prior and motioned to it with a nod “I thought you might like this. You know…” She shrugged as she stared at the plant, feeling really stupid now, before shaking her head “...a little beauty in a dark time.”

Wynonna perked an eyebrow at the gesture. She stared at the plant, then looked at Nicole, then back to the plant, before she let out a laugh when she realized Nicole was being completely serious. She gave a nod and took a few steps toward Nicole before reaching her hand out for the plant.

Nicole gave a crooked little smile at the gesture before taking a few steps to close the remaining space between herself and Wynonna. She gently placed the pot on Wynonna’s outstretched palm before nodding at the plant once more “There are care instructions on the little tab in the dirt.”

“Yeah, thanks” Wynonna laughed again as she pulled the plant toward herself. She eyed it for a moment before her gaze shifted to look at Nicole. She eyed her over just once before giving a nod. Then her gaze lifted to meet Nicole’s and she saw that caring look that the woman held for her sister shining down at her now. She perked an eyebrow because, well, it was curious as to why Nicole was looking at her that way in the moment. She shook the thought off and motioned to Waverly with her head as she spoke to Nicole “I’d tell you to be good to her but I can see you’ve already gone well beyond that. So…” She shrugged and looked at the plant in her hand again. She lifted the pot in a cheers type motion then turned around without another word.

Nicole couldn’t help but blush slightly at Wynonna’s words. She knew she didn’t exactly hide how she felt about Waverly but she hadn’t thought it was that obvious. Maybe it was because Wynonna was her sister or maybe it was because it was as clear as day. Either way she wondered if Waverly could see it, too. She shook the thought off as her hand lifted and she gave Wynonna a wave even though the woman had not looked back since turning around to head into the facility.

Waverly moved over to Nicole now. She let out a heavy sigh, her arms crossed across her chest, as her eyes stayed locked on her sister. She knew she could call and visit but it still felt like she was saying goodbye for an extended time.

Nicole glanced over when she felt Waverly move up next to her. She didn’t even hesitate to slide her arm around her shoulders and pull her into herself. She gave a tight squeeze before letting her hand rub up and down her arm gently. Her eyes returned to Wynonna and the two of them stood there watching until she disappeared through the double glass doors. Then they stood there for a few minutes longer as if to be sure it had really happened and to allow for Waverly to truly accept that it was real.

After a while Nicole looked over to the woman leaning against her. She gave a little squeeze with the arm around her and leaned close to her ear before speaking gently “How about we get you home?”

Waverly glanced up at Nicole and gave a nod. She turned into her and wrapped her arms around her waist slowly. She pulled her into a quick hug before pulling back and offering a weak, teary smile. “Will you stay with me tonight? I just don’t think I can be alone.”

“Of course” Nicole didn’t hesitate to agree. Her hand lifted and she brushed back some of Waverly’s bangs before turning and motioning to the car. She helped her into the passenger side before moving around to her own side of the car. The two of them sat in solemn silence as Nicole started the engine and started to steer the vehicle toward their destination.

~.~.~.~.~.

The drive to Waverly’s place was short, no more than ten minutes, but it was long enough for a worn out Waverly to fall asleep. Nicole didn’t mind. She was actually relieved to see the woman sleeping as she was almost certain she hadn’t slept since the night that Wynonna had hit her head. So she took her time driving to allow Waverly as much rest as possible.

Once they arrived, Nicole reached over to gently nudge at the woman in her passenger side seat. Waverly barely flinched. Without hesitation Nicole got out and moved to the other side of the car. She eased the door open, slid her arms under Waverly’s knees and around her back, lifted her out of the seat, then turned toward the building.

It took a little finessing, and some help from Rosita, but she managed to get into the building and up to Waverly’s condo. After Rosita unlocked her door she left under the reassurance that Nicole didn’t need any help. She was going to lay the woman in her bed then make herself a bed on the couch so that if Waverly awoke she would be there for her.

She made her way into Waverly’s bedroom and eased her down on her bed. She then sat near her feet and carefully worked off the woman’s shoes. Once that was done she stood from the bed and moved to slide the blanket over the sleeping woman. She tucked her in very tenderly before leaning down to place a kiss on her forehead. She smiled down at her and gave a little nod “Sweet dreams, beautiful.”

She moved to scoop up the shoes she had taken from Waverly’s feet and took them over to closet. She wasn’t sure if that was where they went but she decided getting them out of the way was better than just letting them lay in the middle of the floor. What if Waverly got up in the middle of the night and tripped over them. So she set them in the closet before closing it as quietly as she could.

She turned to make sure she had not woken Waverly. When there was no stirring in the bed she gave a smile and slowly moved toward the bedroom door. Just as she reached the doorframe she heard her name come softly from behind her. She turned around quickly and took a step toward the bed “Yeah? I’m right here.”

Waverly blinked up at the woman standing near her bed. She gave a soft, sleepy smile as her hand reached out across the empty half of her bed toward Nicole. She gave a gentle pat against the mattress as a yawn came from her lips. After it passed she shifted enough to pull the top of the blanket off herself just enough to indicate she wanted Nicole to get into bed next to her.

“Oh” Nicole blinked at the offer. She had been content to just sleep on the couch. She gave her head a shake and motioned to the living room behind her “I was just gonna-”

“Please” Waverly whispered as she rolled to her side now so she was facing Nicole. She hadn’t lifted her head off the pillow. She stared at Nicole, her eyelids obviously heavy, and gave a nod against the pillow “Stay.”

“Okay” Nicole wouldn’t argue any longer. She quickly pulled off the jacket she had worn while at the same time kicking off her boots. She moved then to lay her jacket carefully over the back of the chair at Waverly’s desk. She hurried across the room to set her boots in the closet next to where she had put Waverly’s shoes. Once she had everything put away she came back to the empty side of the bed and slowly crawled into the open space. She bit her lip as she slid up next to Waverly. She laid on her side but kept her head propped up on her elbow as she smiled gently at the girl “I wasn’t just going to assume you wanted to share your bed.”

“Shhhh” Waverly scooted right up next to Nicole, causing her to lay onto her back. She slid her arm over Nicole’s stomach before bringing her head to rest gently against her shoulder. She let herself relax completely against the other woman before letting out a long sigh. “Thank you.”

Nicole gave a nod as her arm lifted and slid around Waverly’s back. She looked down at the top of her head and a soft smile came to her lips. Every butterfly that lived in her stomach was fluttering uncontrollably at the moment but she wouldn’t fight it. She would simply enjoy this moment. It didn’t have to mean anything more than one human being needing some comfort from another human being. So she would be whatever Waverly needed and not question it. “You really don’t have to thank me.”

“Just shut up and accept it” Waverly let out a soft laugh at her own words. Her hand that lay on Nicole’s stomach gently started to slide up and down. Her movements up brought her fingers just centimeters below Nicole’s bra then slightly above the waistband of her jeans on the way down . It was a lazy motion, not really something she thought about, as she simply enjoyed being held by the woman.

“You’re bossy” Nicole mumbled with a laugh of her own. As if inspired by Waverly’s hand, her own started to move up and down along the woman’s spine. Her stomach flinched in liking every time Waverly’s fingers changed direction but she tried to ignore it and simply relax. She let out a long breath and finally let her eyes close “You keep doing that and I’m going to fall asleep.”

“That’s the point” Waverly nodded at her own words before lifting her head just enough to look up at Nicole. She gave her a little smile when she saw her eyes were closed before moving to relax her head back against her shoulder. She let out a long breath of her own and let her eyes close once more “So I can put you to sleep by rubbing your tummy, huh? You’re like a puppy.”

Nicole couldn’t help but laugh which pushed her stomach more firmly into Waverly’s fingers. Her head nodded against the pillow before she spoke softly “You should see what happens when you scratch behind my ear.”

Waverly let out the softest giggle at that. Without really thinking about it she turned her head against Nicole’s shoulder until her lips could press a gentle kiss there in the space between her shoulder and bicep. As her head settled back in that spot she spoke very quietly since the mood didn’t require much volume “That is one of the things I like about you. You don’t take yourself too seriously. You have an incredible sense of humor.”

Nicole shivered at the feel of Waverly’s little kiss. It was so innocent but the gesture did not go unnoticed and it only served to heighten the rest of Nicole’s senses in the moment. Her eyes opened and she looked down at the top of Waverly’s head. She lifted her hand from her back and gently let her fingers tangle in the ends of the other woman’s hair “So that’s what makes me so irresistible, huh?”

Waverly shook her head slightly against Nicole’s shoulder. She let out a long yawn and once it passed her hand stilled it’s movements against the other girl’s stomach. She was quiet for a few moments before she spoke again, this time lazily, as she felt sleep taking her over “I’ll have to make you a list sometime.”

Nicole smiled down at the girl laying against her. She wanted to make another comment but she could tell that Waverly was drifting off to sleep so instead she laid there quietly just letting her fingers dance along Waverly’s back slowly and carefully. As the woman against her went limp and her breathing got heavy she opened her own eyes and stared at the ceiling. She was tired but she couldn’t stop her mind from racing. It wasn’t like she had never laid in bed with a woman before. No that wasn’t it at all. It was who that woman was that had sent her mind racing.

She had never met anyone as instantly intriguing as Waverly Earp. The woman was dynamic, driven, determined, and smart. She knew what she wanted and she went after it. She could be a little self-centered but she didn’t harm anyone by being so. It was how she helped people. She buried herself in work so she could be the best for her patients. It was to be admired. 

There was also such a light-hearted side to Waverly. She liked to laugh. Her smile could light up the room with ease. She was quick witted and a little bit of a smartass. Again, though, she wasn’t harmful about it. Nothing that she did was vindictive. She was so thoughtful of everyone around her. The only time she was anything but completely nice was when she was trying to protect herself. She had lashed out at Nicole, sure, but had not meant to do it as a way of being mean. She had been scared. She had been fighting her own inner demons. It was human nature.

Nicole let out a soft sigh as her eyes moved from the ceiling to look at the top of Waverly’s head again. She felt her heart flutter when she saw the shape of the woman leaning against her body. She was totally and completely enamoured with her. She knew they had a date set up but that didn’t have to mean anything. She hoped it did, though. Because the more time she spent with Waverly Earp the more she knew the woman could completely dismantle her if she ended up not reciprocating all of the feelings Nicole was having a hard time suppressing.

~.~.~.~.~.~.


	6. A heart I'd swear I'd recognize is made out of my own devices

Waverly rolled over in bed with her arm stretching out in search of the warm body she had fallen asleep next to. Instead she was greeted with emptiness. She frowned against her pillow and slowly lifted her head to look at the spot where her hand had landed. Sure enough her eyes confirmed what she had felt. Nicole was gone. She blinked once and laid her head back on her pillow with a sigh. Why wouldn’t she at least say goodbye before leaving?

Then the rest of her senses seemed to wake up all at once. She realized she could smell something cooking and she could hear movement in the next room. A soft smile came to her lips at that. Nicole had not left at all. She had simply gotten out of bed and started her day. A flutter rose in her stomach at the thought. She kind of liked the idea of starting her days with Nicole.

She rolled over to her back and looked up at her ceiling. She closed her eyes, drew in a deep breath through her nose, letting the scent of whatever was cooking fill her senses, before she slowly breathed out. Her eyes fluttered open and she finally sat up. That is when she realized she was still fully dressed in her clothes from the previous day. She must have been exhausted because sleeping in a nice blouse and dress pants was not comfortable at all.

She decided to change into something more comfortable. She wasn’t sure what time it was yet but she knew she did not have to work again that day. She wanted to relax a little bit since she had been on edge for nearly a week straight. So she moved through her bedroom quietly but swiftly as she pulled out some sweats and a tshirt to change into. Once she was comfortable she moved to the bathroom attached to her room so she could brush her teeth and wash the leftover makeup off her face. 

Ten minutes later Waverly had her hair pulled into a messy bun, her face washed and moisturized, and her teeth brushed. It sounded silly to brush her teeth before she ate but she did not want to greet Nicole with bad breath. She smiled at herself in the bathroom mirror before shutting off the light and moving through her bedroom toward the doorway that opened into her kitchen and living room area.

She leaned against her door frame for a few moments watching Nicole move about the kitchen. That is when she noticed the woman had changed her clothes. She was wearing the same kind of outfit she had been on the first day they had met. A pair of baggy athletic pants and a zip up hoodie. She bit her lip as she looked the woman over. It didn’t seem to matter what Nicole was wearing, Waverly was completely attracted to it all.

Nicole whirled around to reach for the fridge and that is when she caught Waverly out of the corner of her eye. She jumped in fright, having not been expecting to see her standing there, and let out a soft laugh at herself. She looked more fully at Waverly before giving a little nod “I didn’t wake you, did I?”

“No” Waverly answered honestly as a smirk came over her features. She had scared Nicole and yet she had tried to play it off as if it hadn’t happened. Just another little thing she liked about her. Now that Nicole was aware of her presence, Waverly pushed off the doorframe and moved into the kitchen area of the room. She glanced at the stove then back to Nicole and perked an eyebrow “What are you making?”

“Breakfast” Nicole quipped sarcastically before letting out a laugh. She turned back to the fridge to get what she had initially turned around for before returning to the stove. “I hope you don’t mind me raiding your kitchen but I figured you’d be starving.”

“Not at all” Waverly motioned to what Nicole was doing and smiled. “The kitchen doesn’t get nearly enough use so it’s nice to see that the stove actually works.”

Nicole chuckled lightly as she stirred something around in a pan. She glanced over her shoulder at the other woman and a fond smile took over her features. Waverly still looked a little sleepy and now that she had comfortable clothes on and her hair pulled up in a messy bun she was really selling the look. It was adorable. She blinked just once and motioned toward the small kitchen table to indicate she wanted Waverly to take a seat “How did you sleep?”

“Good, I think” Waverly shrugged at the question as she slid into one of the chairs. She noticed a cup of juice set there and she reached for it. She looked up at Nicole’s back and perked her eyebrow “What time is it?”

“After ten” Nicole nodded then set down her cooking utensil. She turned and grabbed the pot of coffee she had made and worked to mix a cup for Waverly.

“Ten!?” Waverly’s eyes went wide with panic. “Why did you let me sleep so late?”

“You were tired” Nicole shrugged. She finished what she was doing then moved to the table. She set the mug of coffee down in front of the girl and set her eyes in a very soft gaze “You needed the rest. I know you have one more day on your emergency leave so I thought I’d let you rest up.”

“But-” Waverly was going to argue but stopped because, well, it made sense. She had to go back to work tomorrow and she knew that was exhausting in its own way. She looked at the coffee that Nicole had set in front of her and smiled warmly. She took a hold of the handle of the mug and as she lifted it her eyes looked to Nicole “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me” Nicole whispered softly. Her hand reached out and she tucked a few loose strands of hair behind Waverly’s ear before she turned back to the stove. “So I called in and took a sick day today. I figured we could get our date out of the way today before we go back to work tomorrow.”

Waverly choked on the hot coffee she had been sipping. She blinked a few times as she coughed it out of her throat and once it was clear she looked at Nicole wide eyed “Wait! We’re going on our date today?”

Nicole glanced over her shoulder with an eyebrow arched curiously “Is that okay?”

Waverly nodded, coughing lightly a few more times, before reaching for a napkin to wipe her lips. She let out a soft laugh at herself before settling her eyes back on the woman “Yeah, it’s totally fine. I just wasn’t expecting it. I need to prepare!”

“No you don’t” Nicole laughed before reaching to turn off the stove. She grabbed onto the handle of the pan she had been working in and turned back toward the table. She used her utensil to scoop half of what she had in the pan onto the plate in front of Waverly before doing the same to a plate in front of an empty chair. She then turned around, set the pan down, and brushed her hands together as if wiping them clean. “I think you are plenty prepared for this date.”

“How would you know? You don’t know what I do before a date” Waverly huffed out through a laugh. Her eyes dropped to her plate of steaming food and she felt her stomach growl. She honestly couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten a decent meal over the past several days.

“I think you’re prepare because…” Nicole lifted her finger in a gesture for Waverly to hold on. She then moved quickly from the kitchen to the living room area. She scooped up one of several candles Waverly had set up around her place and hurried back to the table. She set it down then dug the lighter for it out of a nearby drawer. Once she had the wick lit she motioned to it proudly then took a seat in front of the other plate of food she had served “You are currently on the date.”

“I… what?” Waverly looked at the candle then to Nicole and she let out a laugh. Her head shook and amusement painted her face as she surveyed the scene. There was nothing special about the moment, not really. She motioned to the candle Nicole had lit and smirked “So because you light a candle and make me breakfast this is a date?”

“Why not?” Nicole shrugged as a laugh escaped her lips. “It has all the essentials of a stereotypical date, right? Food…” She motioned to her plate “...ambiance…” she then flicked her hand toward the candle “....two people who are romantically interested in one another…” She used her hand to indicate herself before slowly motioning to Waverly. She smiled brightly before dropping her hand and picking up her fork “Besides all you really have to do to make something a date is say its a date so…” She shrugged as she stabbed her food “...this is a date!”

“I…” Waverly looked around the setting before fixing her eyes on a very amused looking Nicole. She let out a very soft laugh then looked at her food. Again her stomach growled. So she decided to stop arguing and eat. She reached for her fork and as she gathered a bite a smirk came to her lips. Nicole was so casual about everything. Nothing seemed to bother her. It was refreshing to be around. She gave a nod in silent agreement with herself before she lifted the bite to her mouth. She paused before taking it though and looked back at Nicole “Do you always have an overnight bag packed just in case you score with a lady?”

Nicole looked down at her obvious change of clothes and let out a laugh. She gave her head a shake before smoothing her hand over herself “You forget that I regularly workout with my patients at work so I always have a change of clothes with me.”

“Oh yeah” Waverly rolled her eyes at herself. She did tend to forget that Nicole’s job included actual physical labor. Well, kind of. She shook her head at herself and poked at her food to gather another bite “You could have borrowed some of my clothes.”

Nicole’s lips sputtered out an amused sounding puff before a smirk took over her features. She perked an eyebrow at Waverly and when it looked like she was serious Nicole let out a soft laugh “I wouldn’t fit. Look at you” She motioned to the woman who was much more petite than herself “I’d look like the incredible Hulk.”

“Okay, you’re not that buff” Waverly rolled her eyes in fake annoyance before letting out a laugh. “I happen to have plenty of baggy clothing! I know you only see me in my business attire but I do know how to be comfortable.”

“Alright, alright” Nicole lifted her hands in playful surrender. She cast a smirk at Waverly before her hands returned to what she had been doing. She was quiet for a moment and when she spoke next it was in a less playful tone “How is your food?”

“Amazing” Waverly nodded as she motioned to her plate to show that she had already eaten half of it. She gave Nicole a soft smile as she reached for her coffee again “Where did you learn to cook?”

“Self taught. But I kind of had to” Nicole shrugged at that. “I was sixteen when my parents died and although I had an aunt to stay with I knew I didn’t want to stick around and burden her for longer than I needed to so as soon as I turned eighteen I moved out.”

“Really?” Waverly looked a little surprised. She had known about her parents but she had never stopped to think about who had taken care of her after the accident.

Nicole gave a nod as her fork poked mindlessly around her plate “She couldn’t really afford my medical bills. The life insurance money from my parents only went so far, you know? Luckily I had managed to keep my grades up and get a scholarship so she didn’t have to worry about college. I took it upon myself to take care of everything else.”

“Wow” Waverly gave an amazed shake of her head as she focused on Nicole. Her own childhood had been rough, to say the least, but she had always had a home to go back to. Her parents weren’t the best and both her sisters were, well, busy with their own lives but she had never felt anything but support from her family. She had never really had to struggle like Nicole did. She let out a soft sigh and reached out to place a hand over Nicole’s gently “You’re amazing. Don’t say you aren’t, either. Just accept the compliment.”

“Thanks” Nicole dipped her head bashfully as a blush came over her cheeks. She turned her hand over under Waverly’s touch and gently wrapped her fingers around the other woman’s hand. She gave a squeeze and after a moment she looked back up at her. She gave a nod to motion at Waverly’s plate before smiling “Now hurry with your breakfast. We have a full schedule today.”

“What?” Waverly’s eyes went wide with surprise.

“Yeah” Nicole sounded as if that should have been obvious. “You really think I’m going to waste our date on just breakfast?” She shook her head in amusement like that was the most ludicrous idea she had ever heard. “I am going to make this count. So hurry up and finish then go get changed.”

“Wait” Waverly coughed out a laugh and shook her head as she focused on Nicole. “What are we doing?”

“That is a surprise” Nicole shrugged as she stood from the table now. She hadn’t eaten much but that was because she was nervous. She wanted Waverly to have a good day. She hoped it would help keep her mind off her sister. That was really the reasoning behind her using their day as a date. She had an excuse to monopolize Waverly’s time in the hope that it helped distract her.

“I need to know what to wear!” Waverly exclaimed with a laugh as she stood from the table too. She moved to the sink to hand over her plate before folding her arms across her chest “Nicole, you have to give me a hint.”

“You don’t like not being in charge, huh?” Nicole smirked in amusement as she rinsed off the plates. 

“That’s not true” Waverly shook her head adamantly. “I just like having an idea of what to expect.”

“Mmhmm” Nicole hummed out playfully as if she didn’t believe the girl. Once her hands were free she wiped them dry before motioning to her own outfit “I am going to wear this. Take that to mean whatever you want.”

Waverly’s eyes flickered over Nicole’s outfit once more. She narrowed her eyes as if thinking it over before giving a nod and turning on her heel. She moved quickly toward her bedroom as if she were on a mission now.

Nicole let out a soft laugh as she watched her go. Once Waverly was in her bedroom Nicole focused on cleaning up the mess she had made in the kitchen. The last thing she wanted to do was be one of those houseguests that came in, made a mess, then didn’t clean up. Plus she really hated messes.

“Hey Nicole!” Waverly called out from her bedroom a few minutes later.

“Yeah?” Nicole had just finished the dishes and was wiping down the countertop. She hurried over and poked her head into the open bedroom door. When she saw Waverly standing in the doorway of her bathroom with her toothbrush in her mouth she let out a soft laugh “Very attractive.”

“Shut up” Waverly rolled her eyes but laughed as well. She motioned for the woman to come into the room and once Nicole drew closer she lifted her hand to reveal a brand new toothbrush. She perked an eyebrow and motioned behind her to the bathroom “I wasn’t sure if your overnight hookup bag included a toothbrush.”

“It’s not an overnight hookup bag” Nicole coughed out a laugh as she reached for the toothbrush that was still in the plastic package. She eyed it curiously before casting the same look at Waverly “Do you always have brand new toothbrushes for all your overnight guests?”

“Technically they are for me” Waverly rolled her eyes again. “But, yes, if someone happens to need a toothbrush I usually have one. I buy them in bulk.”

“You buy them in bulk?” Nicole bit back an amused smirk and looked back to the toothbrush she held. She gave a little shake of her head to fight off her laughter before looking back to Waverly as if she weren’t completely tickled by the idea. “Can I ask why?”

“Because I change my toothbrush every three months as recommended by the ADA” Waverly huffed as if that should have been obvious.

Nicole just gave a nod. It was written all over her face that she was fighting off teasing the girl for what she had just heard. So maybe they were both a little obsessive over a few things. She was beginning to see they were more alike than she had first thought “You should probably get your OCD treated.”

“Shut up” Waverly laughed out and motioned once more to her bathroom to indicate she wanted Nicole to use it to brush her teeth. “I’ll get mine treated when you get yours treated Miss I-mop-my-floors-everyday.”

Nicole shrugged as she stepped into the bathroom to find the toothpaste “Who says I’m not already in therapy for that?”

“Wait” Waverly’s smile dropped and she turned around to look at Nicole with horrified embarrassment on her face. She did not mean to tease her about it if she really was being treated for an obsessive disorder. “Are you really?”

Nicole just smirked as she stuffed the toothbrush in her mouth. She was going to let Waverly sweat about it for a few minutes while she brushed her teeth. She had to admit she really liked this playful banter. Just another thing to add to the ever growing list of things about Waverly that she was totally attracted to.

“Nicole!” Waverly, with her toothbrush in her hand and white foam still on her lips, put her hands on her hips and fixed the woman with a glare. “Are you really? Because I didn’t mean to tease you if it’s a real issue. You should know I would never make fun of anyone with any sort of mental-”

Nicole lifted her hand to stop Waverly from continuing. She leaned down to spit into the sink before rinsing off her toothbrush and using her other hand to scoop some water into her mouth. She swished it around a few times, spit once more into the sink, then wiped her hand across her face. She stepped out of the bathroom and offered her used toothbrush back to Waverly with a smile on her lips “No, I’m not. Now, not that I’m complaining because I think you’re adorable regardless, but you might want to wipe your mouth off before we head out.” She smirked in amusement as she stepped past Waverly triumphantly.

Waverly’s entire body went hot with embarrassment. She slapped a hand over her mouth and that’s when she felt the still wet foam that had gathered there during her own vigorous teeth brushing. She rushed into the bathroom and turned on the water immediately. She leaned over the sink and used her hand to both take water into her mouth and splash it on her cheeks in an attempt to cool her blush. She kind of wanted to die in that moment. She was so embarrassed. She wasn’t sure she had ever been this embarrassed in her life.

She managed to pull herself together. After a few moments she turned off the water and looked at herself in the mirror. She had changed into jeans, because they were comfortable and casual in her eyes, but had opted for a slightly nicer shirt. It was long sleeved and button up with ruffles on her sleeves and at her waist. She figured the soft pink would make it a little fun so Nicole didn’t feel like she was too underdressed. Honestly, Nicole looked nice in her workout clothes. They weren’t too baggy and they weren’t stained. She actually dressed really well, which was important to Waverly for some reason. Maybe she was too focused on physical appearance.

She shook the idea out of her head as she flipped off the light in the bathroom and headed for the living room. When she stepped out and saw Nicole waiting she offered her a smile as she motioned to her now clean face “How do I look?”

“Foam free” Nicole assured her with a nod and a laugh. She moved over to her now and without hesitating she leaned in and touched a very gentle kiss to her forehead. She then pulled back and slid her hand back through Waverly’s loose hanging hair. She looked her over once and gave another slight nod “Stunning as always.”

Waverly bit her lip to fight another blush from rising into her cheeks. No one had ever looked at her the way Nicole did. No one had ever made her feel as sincerely beautiful as Nicole managed to. She felt like Nicole told her she was beautiful so that she believed it and not as a way of trying to charm her just to get into her pants. She liked that. Everything Nicole did seemed to be completely genuine. She wasn’t sure she had ever experienced anything like that before.

“Are you ready?” Nicole perked an eyebrow and offered her hand toward Waverly.

Without even a beat of hesitation Waverly slid her hand into Nicole’s and gave her a single nod “Lead the way.”

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

The first stop of the day was at one of Nicole’s favorite places in town. She hadn’t been there long, just over a month, but she had managed to find a place to visit time and again when she needed a little unwinding. So of course when planning a date with Waverly this was the first place that had popped into mind. If she was going to share herself with the girl she wanted to share all of the most interesting and important parts. This place was included in that.

Somehow they had managed to spend two hours wandering through the Botanical gardens. Nicole had taken her time to name all the plants she was familiar with and explain to Waverly the meaning or history behind them. Waverly remained in a constant state of awe through most of the tour. She had never seen such a beautiful place in her entire life. She also had not known how incredibly deep Nicole’s knowledge of botany went. It was impressive.

“Oh, hey, come here” Nicole beckoned to Waverly who had been standing in front of a bush of red flowers. She had been reading the information posted about them and had not realized that Nicole had wandered off. So when she heard the beckoning she looked around to find which direction it had come from.

Nicole stood near a bush that was about hip height to her. It was green with long leaves that looked like blades of thick grass near the bottom portion but as it grew up the long stems held almost bell shaped white flowers that seemed to be blooming out of purple buds. 

Waverly smiled very softly because Nicole looked excited to show her the plant she stood next to. She hurried over to the other woman and looked at the bush. She nodded as she reached out to touch some of the delicate flowers before looking up at Nicole “These ones are pretty.”

“You think so?” Nicole’s smile had yet to fade since entering the Botanical garden. She was in her element. She wasn’t sure why she had always been drawn to plants but they had been a source of calm and serenity for her throughout most of her life. She was more than thrilled to be sharing it with Waverly now.

“I like the purple” Waverly nodded as her fingers lightly brushed over the purple buds that clung to the longer stems of the plant.

Nicole’s eyes focused on the plant and her smile grew. She took a moment to really look it over before she looked back to the other woman. “This is a species of Salvia” She motioned to the plant as if she were displaying “It is a plant that symbolizes thoughtfulness and compassion.” She paused for a moment to watch the reaction from the other woman. When she seemed to be listening, she continued a little more seriously now “It is known as Waverly Sage.”

“Shut up” Waverly let out a soft laugh of disbelief and looked back at the plant.

“I’m serious” Nicole nodded then motioned to the small plaque near the plant that held all the information she had just stated. She drew in a deep breath and her eyes flickered from the plant to Waverly and back again “You know what’s funny?”

“That you learned about the Waverly Sage just to impress me” Waverly murmured through a smirk.

Nicole glanced at Waverly with a little amusement dancing on her lips. She really liked that they both felt comfortable enough to tease one another. She strived to take everything as light-hearted as possible and it was always nice to be around the same energy. 

She shook the thought off though and focused a little more seriously on the girl next to her. When she spoke again it was softer “My mother had these planted all around our home when I was little. They have always been one of my favorite plants.”

Waverly’s eyes fluttered in surprise. She looked a little stunned. She didn’t really know what to say. She put a hand over her heart and fixed her eyes on Nicole before she managed to speak again “Really?”

“Yeah” Nicole smiled as her eyes moved back to the plant. She drew in a deep breath and let her fingers reach out to lightly stroke the stem nearest to her. She was quiet for a moment, looking deep in thought, before she finally brought her eyes back to the other girl “I always wanted to plant some in my own garden one day.”

Waverly let out a soft laugh and moved closer to Nicole. She reached out and slid her hand down her arm until she could take hold of her hand. She gave a tight squeeze and looked back to the plant “Well, and I might be biased now, but I totally think you should plant some Waverly Sage at your new house then.”

Nicole let out a soft laugh and nodded in agreement. Her hand returned the squeeze it had received before she let out a soft sigh. She was again quiet, thinking it over for a few long moments as she took in the sight of the plant that she was so familiar with. They stood side by side looking at the flowers, hand in hand, in perfect silence for a few minutes.

Finally Nicole cleared her throat to break up the quiet that had fallen around them. When she spoke, her voice came out soft and in a tone more serious than she had used all day “I think she was guiding me to you.”

Waverly blinked just once as the words danced around her head. She felt her heart jump into her throat and the butterflies spark to life in her stomach. Her hand trembled where it held onto Nicole’s. She didn’t know what to say. So she kept her eyes on the flowers for a few more moments before she dared look over to the other woman. When she did she looked completely flattered and her head shook slightly as she spoke “What makes you say that?”

“Every step of my life, no matter where I’ve gone or what I’ve done, I’ve come across this plant” Nicole motioned to the flowers but didn’t dare take her eyes off of Waverly. She needed her to know she was serious. “The day after the accident this plant was outside my hospital room window. My aunt had one in her yard. They were all over my college campus…” She gave her head a shake as if she couldn’t believe it herself. It seemed crazy, now that she thought about it, but she hadn’t realized it until that very moment. As the pieces all fell together she felt her heart start to race faster and faster “My first job was across from a nursery that sold it. When I saw your lecture video online? There was an ad on the site for it.” She let out a huff of a laugh as the revelation settled in. “She’s been guiding me toward you my entire life.”

“Don’t say such things if you don’t mean them” Waverly blurted out almost desperately as her eyes stared intently at Nicole.

“I mean it” Nicole nodded firmly without an ounce of doubt in her tone. She lifted the hand not being held by Waverly to her face and lightly cupped her cheek. “I think you’re my destiny, Waverly, and I’m just now realizing it which is kind of freaking me out. But, also, I’m kind of at peace with it, too, somehow.”

Waverly’s head shook quickly as her entire body turned into Nicole. She released her hold on the other woman’s hand in favor of lifting both hands to her face. She lifted onto her toes and without a word captured Nicole’s lips in a heated kiss. Everything inside her was raging with desire and urgency. No one had ever made her feel special. No one had ever made her believe that she needn’t make excuses for herself. No one in her life had made her feel as though just being herself was what mattered most. She felt free with Nicole. She felt like she was discovering parts of herself she had not known existed before and it was completely exhilarating. She felt all of these because of Nicole and she was desperate now to somehow let the woman know exactly what her words had done to her.

The kiss had definitely surprised Nicole. She wrapped her arms around Waverly and pulled her against herself tightly as her head tilted and she returned the kiss. It was intense, something that the two of them had never shared before. She found herself feeling breathless very soon after it started but she did not want to break the kiss. She wanted to feel everything that Waverly was trying to express to her. She was intoxicated by the energy passing between them. She had never shared such an immediate connection with anyone in her life. It was addicting. She never wanted it to end.

Waverly was the one to pull from the kiss first. She needed air. She needed to feel her feet press back into the ground. Her head was spinning and her chest hurting from her racing heart. When she pulled back she let her head shake again as she drew in a deep breath. Her hand moved from where she had been cupping Nicole’s cheek to touch at her own face. She swiped away the single tear that had trickled out as her emotions had overwhelmed her.

“Are you alright?” The question was breathed out heavily by Nicole when she saw the tear. Worry immediately danced over her features as her own hand moved to trace the same cheek that Waverly had just wiped dry. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“You didn’t” Waverly assured her quickly as a smile returned to her face. Her eyes locked with Nicole’s and she let out a heavy sigh as her fingers danced gently down Nicole’s neck and across her shoulder “No one has ever spoken about me the way you do. I just…” She shrugged and breathed out a delicate laugh “...it’s a little overwhelming. But in a totally amazing way.”

“Are you sure?” Nicole still looked concerned as her fingers now slid back into Waverly’s hair before moving down her back.

“Absolutely” Waverly said firmly. She let her eyes sweep around Nicole’s worried features before lifting onto her toes again. She placed a very gentle kiss to her lips, short and sweet, before pulling back and landing on her feet again. She let out another sigh before dropping her hand in order to once more grab ahold of Nicole’s gently. “If you keep saying those things about me I’m bound to fall head over heels for you.”

Nicole’s laugh was a mix of amusement and utter disbelief. Her head shook as a smile finally lit her face and the worry melted away. Her free hand came out of Waverly’s hair and cupped once more at her cheek. She leaned forward just enough to allow her forehead to rest against Wavery’s. When she spoke it was a breathy whisper “I think I already beat you to it.”

A very soft laugh and a nod came from Waverly. She closed her eyes and just let herself soak in the moment they were sharing. Somehow a complete stranger had come into her life and flipped everything she knew completely on its head. She felt like she was still trying to catch up but it wasn’t scary anymore. She knew that as long as she had Nicole by her side she could handle it. She could handle anything. The strength Nicole held was contagious and Waverly knew without a doubt that there was nothing to two of them couldn’t figure out together.

“Do you wanna get out of here?” Nicole broke the silence that had blanketed them. She pulled her forehead back from Waverly’s but stayed close to her face. Her eyes danced all about the woman’s delicate features and she felt herself fluttering in a completely new way. The epiphany she had experienced in regard to the plant her mother had loved had changed the way she saw Waverly now. Maybe she was jumping to conclusions or being a little reckless but there was something inside her, a calming sensation, that told her this was where she was meant to be. This was who she was meant to be with. This was it.

Waverly nodded at Nicole’s inquiry about leaving the garden. She bit her lip as both her hands dropped down to take hold of both of Nicole’s. She offered her an almost sheepish smile before giving a pull to indicate she wanted them to start moving. Once Nicole had taken a few steps, Waverly released one of her hands and side stepped so they were walking next to one another through the winding path of the garden.

They walked now hand in hand, side by side, in silence. Both of them seemed to be reflecting on what had unfolded. It was funny how life could be a whirlwind of chaos one day only to have you land right side up in total harmony the next. Nicole had known she was taking a risk leaving her old life behind but there hadn’t been a single moment where she had second guessed it and now, as she moved with Waverly toward her car, she knew the reason for that.

Waverly glanced at Nicole with an almost bashful smile as they settled into the car together. They both remained quiet as Nicole started the engine and the vehicle lurched into motion. Waverly’s hand held tightly to Nicole’s as she guided them to their next stop. She kept her eyes on the woman behind the wheel and though she was still taken completely by surprise by all that had developed between them she also felt completely at peace. She had always felt that no matter what she did in life, no matter what she accomplished, she had not done enough. There was a gap, something missing. She always thought it was her inability to help her sister with her addictions but she knew now that was not the case. Nicole was that missing piece. Now that she had that missing piece in place everything else would soon follow. As that realization set in she gave Nicole’s hand a light squeeze. She was ready for whatever else came her way.

~.~.~.~.~.~.

**Three months later…**

Nicole glanced at the watch on her wrist and let out a sigh. She had been trying not to rush Waverly that morning but now it was getting close to the time they needed to leave. She moved across the kitchen, setting the coffee she had been drinking on the corner of the counter, before heading toward the front door. She paused to look herself over in the mirror near the door. She wanted to look nice but not too nice. It was a special day but it wasn’t her day so she didn’t want to take any attention. But she still wanted to look nice. That is why she had chosen a soft color button up, barely purple tinted, and light khaki colored slacks. She didn’t like khaki but Waverly said they made her butt look nice so she wore them as much as possible.

“Baby? Are you almost ready? We have to get going!” She called up the stairs that she stood near checking herself out in the mirror.

There wasn’t an answer. There was some shuffling heard from above then nothing. Nicole perked an eyebrow at that. She looked at her watch again then turned toward the stairs. She put her foot on the first step and grabbed hold of the railing on her left. She leaned forward enough to look up at the top of the staircase that was just above where she was standing and called again “Waverly! Don’t make me come up there! I am sure you look fantastic! We’ve got to hurry!”

Again some shuffling then a pause. Then the obvious sound of footsteps. Then suddenly Waverly appeared at the top of the stairs case. She wore a floral patterned sundress with some white heels. She came down the first part of the staircase and paused on the landing where the stairs changed directions. She swayed her hips back and forth so that the bottom of her dress swished side to side. “What do you think? Too casual or too much?”

“I think you look…” Nicole’s head shook in awe as she looked up at her girlfriend. She took a moment to soak in her radiant beauty before lifting her eyes to meet Waverly’s nervous gaze. She smiled and let out a very happy sounding sigh “You’re a vision.”

Waverly gave a happy little bounce and once more swished her hips back and forth. She then took a few steps down and paused as her eyes fell to Nicole’s full outfit. She perked an eyebrow and a wicked smirk came over her lips “You’re wearing the khakis. Who are you trying to impress?”

“No one” Nicole let out a bashful sounding laugh. She took her foot off the bottom stair and stood completely upright, smoothing her hands down over herself, before shaking her head “I just wanted to look nice and I know how highly you speak of these pants.”

“They make your ass look incredible” Waverly’s smirk held as she took one more step down toward Nicole.

“That is an added bonus, I suppose” Nicole shrugged casually as she fought a smirk of her own. She then motioned to the dress Waverly wore and nodded “Besides, you know how much I like when you wear anything with flowers on it. And, hey…” She motioned to the soft purple color of her shirt then to the dress that held a splash of purple flowers on a white background and let out a laugh “...we match.”

“That was accidental” Waverly pointed at her girlfriend with a laugh.

“Either way I know she’s going to say something about it” Nicole nodded then motioned in a beckoning fashion with her hand. “Now get down here. If traffic is bad we are going to be late.”

Waverly took one more step down and paused again. She stood now halfway between the landing of the stairs and the bottom. Her head shook just once and the smirk she held grew wider.

“What are you-” Nicole stopped when she saw the look on Waverly’s face. She quickly shook her head and lifted her hand in an attempt to halt whatever thought process was going through her girlfriend’s mind. “No, Waverly, no. We are running late. Don’t you dare-”

“Catch!” Waverly let out a gleeful shout and launched herself down the rest of the stairs.

“You-” Nicole had no time to argue. Before she knew it Waverly was flying through the air right at her. Her instincts took over and she reached out her arms to brace for impact. She managed to bring Waverly into her body safely but the weight from her girlfriend and the momentum of the jump caused her to stumble backwards. She knocked into the wall behind her which caused a picture frame to be knocked off it’s nail and crash to the floor. Somehow she had prevented the two of them from tumbling to the floor by pressing her back into the wall and using it as a sort of wedge to stop their momentum. Once she realized she had done so she stared wide eyed at Waverly in her arms “You have GOT to stop doing that!”

“But you always catch me” Waverly cooed. She had her arms around Nicole’s shoulders and she lifted a hand to lightly brush some of her girlfriend’s wild hairs that had come forward in the commotion back behind her ear. She then leaned in and kissed her very gently on the lips. Once she pulled back from the kiss her hands dropped from around Nicole’s shoulders and she reached for the top button that was done up on her girlfriend’s shirt “How much time did you say we had?”

“No” Nicole looked down at what Waverly was doing and let out a laugh. “Baby, we are going to be late!”

“How late?” Waverly perked an eyebrow as her fingers moved to the second button once the first one had come open.

“So, so, SO late” Nicole sighed out softly. “She is going to be waiting.”

“Let her wait” Waverly whispered as she leaned forward now to allow her lips and teeth to brush gently along Nicoles’s throat a few times.

Nicole let out a groan as her head fell back against the wall and her eyes closed. She was helpless to say no, honestly. She was incapable of it. So she let all the weight she was holding slowly slide down against the wall until she was sitting safely on the floor with Waverly across her lap. Her hands, now free of supporting her girlfriend’s weight, started to roam along her body. One slid up her leg until it disappeared under the dress while the other one moved along her back until it tangled in the back of her hair. 

“Hey, I spent hours on my hair” Waverly pulled back from nibbling along Nicole’s neck and gave her a scowl “Don’t mess it up.”

“You started it” Nicole gave a smirk as her fingers gripped at the strands tangled about and she gave a firm but playful tug.

“Damn it” Waverly let out a husky moan and her eyes fell closed as the sensation from the tug to her hair flooded through her body. 

A satisfied smirk rose on Nicole’s lips before she leaned in and started to kiss along Waverly’s exposed throat. She kept her grip on the strands of hair for a few more moments before finally letting her hand free to move back down Waverly’s body gently.

Waverly let out a happy sigh. She melted under Nicole’s touch, under her kiss, letting all of the sensations the woman gave her flood her body completely. Her hands went back to work on the buttons of her shirt blindly and once she had all of them that she could reach open she pressed forward and let her lips find the newly exposed skin along Nicole’s collarbone. She touched a few kisses along the bone before curving her path up her neck, along her jaw, and finally up to her ear. Her teeth scraped gently against the outside of her ear as she whispered to her “I love you so much, Nicole.”

Nicole’s mouth lifted from where she had been feasting across Waverly’s shoulder and along her neck. She brought her face back enough to be able to look her girlfriend in the eyes. She gave a simple nod at the words as a smile danced over her lips “I love you, too. Now…” She danced her eyebrows on her forehead once before letting out a soft laugh “Let’s hurry up and finish what you started.” At the last of her words she closed the small space between their lips, capturing her girlfriend’s mouth in a passionate, hungry kiss.

~.~.~.~.~.~.

“What the fuck, guys!” Wynonna threw her hands up in exasperation when she saw her sister and Nicole approaching her quickly. She stood from where she had been sitting on the bench outside the rehab facility and tossed the cigarette she was smoking into the bin. “I have been sitting here for like an hour! You know I can’t leave until you check me out!”

“I know, I’m so sorry” Waverly huffed out a breath as she rushed to her sister. She gave her a smile and quickly wrapped her into a tight hug. She pulled back and looked her over excitedly before nodding in approval “You look amazing, Wynonna.”

“Yeah, well, when you stop substituting food with alcohol and other drugs you tend to plump up” Wynonna patted her fuller bra with both hands then gave a smirk. She then motioned to the dress her sister wore and gave a nod “You dressed up. You shouldn’t have.”

“Are you crazy?” Waverly glanced down over herself as she brushed some of her wild hair being tossed about by the breeze off her face. “This is an important day. I wasn’t going to look like a slob.”

“You never look like a slob” Wynonna mumbled and gave a roll of her eyes. She then pulled her sister into one more quick hug. As it ended and she stepped back she spoke a little softer and a little more seriously “Thank you for coming.”

“Wouldn’t miss it” Waverly nodded just once. They held gazes for a moment, sharing something that only siblings could share, before they both blinked and looked away. Waverly once more tried to tame her hair that was blowing about in the gentle breeze by pushing her hand back through it before motioning to her sister “So are you ready to go?”

“You just have to sign me out” Wynonna motioned behind herself toward the building. “I already filled out all the paperwork I could while I was waiting on your slow ass…” She rolled her eyes playfully before letting out a laugh “...so all you have to do is confirm and sign.”

“Right” Waverly nodded once then motioned to the door. “Be right back, then!”

Wynonna perked an eyebrow as she watched her sister rush inside. Her sister was always so put together and she never rushed because she prided herself on being prompt so seeing her in a hurried state was odd. She waited until the doors closed behind Waverly before she turned and looked at Nicole. She eyed her over once before giving a nod “Thanks for coming.”

“Of course” Nicole shrugged as her hands pushed into the front pockets of her khakis. She had only visited Wynonna once while she had been in rehab and it was at the insistence of Waverly. The two of them didn’t really know each other too well but Nicole had been told by her girlfriend that Wynonna approved. 

“You guys were having sex, weren’t you?” Wynonna lips curled into a smug smirk.

“What?” Nicole shook her head quickly and gave a quick motion with her arm behind herself. “Traffic! There was a lot of traffic!”

“Please, I know post-sex hair when I see it” Wynonna sputtered out a laugh before turning to her suitcase. She grabbed the handle of it and started to pull it on its wheels toward Nicole. She paused and looked her over once more then motioned with her free hand toward her neck “You also have her lipstick all over. You should really cover your tracks more carefully if you’re going to be late to something.”

Nicole closed her eyes as embarrassment of being caught flooded her entire body. She lifted a hand to her neck and wiped at the spot firmly. When she pulled her fingers away and opened her eyes she was greeted with the light red color that Waverly wore. She let her head shake before she turned around and caught up to Wynonna who was heading toward the parking lot. “I’m really sorry, Wynonna. I told her we had to go. She is the one-”

“Nope” Wynonna lifted her hand in a gesture to stop Nicole from continuing. She stopped in her tracks and turned to face the approaching woman. “It is bad enough I am going to have to share a house with you two for the next few months. I do not need details.”

Nicole lifted both her hands in a gesture of surrender before giving a nod.

“I can’t believe you two are living together already” Wynonna said with a laugh as she reached down to her suitcase and started to unzip the top of it. “Talk about uhauling it, huh?”

“No, I mean, we aren’t really-” Nicole shook her head to deny it but realized she couldn’t. Although they hadn’t officially moved in together, whatever that meant, Waverly was always at Nicole’s place and had most of her stuff there. So she relented the argument with a sigh and shrugged “At least I’m being good to her, right?”

“So I hear” Wynonna straightened up now that she had fetched what she had been searching for from her bag. It was the same plant that Nicole had given her on her first day of rehab. It hadn’t grown much, as Wynonna was inept at gardening, but it hadn’t died either which she thought was an accomplishment. She held it by its pot and offered it out to Nicole “I kept it alive for you.”

Nicole blinked in surprise. She looked completely dumbfounded. It took her a few seconds to shake off her surprise before she laughed and gave a shake of her head “I gave that to you, Wynonna. It’s yours to keep.”

“Oh” Wynonna looked at the plant for a few moments before once more extending it out toward Nicole. “Well I’m not very good with plants so I thought you’d want it back.”

Nicole opened her mouth to argue but stopped. She had a feeling Wynonna was trying to give it back as a way of thanking her for caring. Waverly must have told her how much Nicole liked plants. So she gave a nod and took the plant out of her hand “How about we plant it at my place sometime soon? That way no matter where you go you’ll always be close to Waverly.”

Wynonna perked an eyebrow at Nicole. She wanted to make fun of her but she also didn’t know her very well. She was trying to be a kinder, gentler person, too. So instead she gave a shrug at the idea “Sounds cheesy but okay.”

“Okay” Nicole repeated with a laugh. She glanced at the plant and gave a nod as if silently agreeing with the plan. 

“Alright are we ready to go?” Waverly came jogging out of the building to catch up with Nicole. Wynonna had handed over the plant then once more turned and headed down the pathway toward the parking lot. Waverly perked an eyebrow at her sister and motioned to her once she caught up to her girlfriend “She’s in a hurry, isn’t she?”

“I guess” Nicole laughed and looked at Waverly. She then waved the plant she held in her hand back and forth to draw attention to it before giving a little shrug “She gave this back to me because she thought I had borrowed it to her during her stay in rehab. I tried to tell her it was hers but she insisted she sucks at gardening.”

“Well she does” Waverly confirmed with a laugh as her hand reached out to touch at one of the wilting white flowers. “But I think she was trying to say thank you.”

“I figured” Nicole smiled as she looked at the plant tenderly. “So we are going to plant it at our place once I get it thriving again.”

“Our place?” Waverly perked an eyebrow as she stepped around Nicole to bring herself face to face with her.

Nicole rolled her eyes and motioned with the hand that held the plant toward where Wynonna was standing in the distance near her car “Your sister doesn’t beat around the bush and she basically called us out for living together so soon. I tried to argue but she’s totally right, Waves. So why not just make it official?” 

Waverly was trying, and failing, to fight the smile that was slowly spreading over her lips “Really? It took my sister getting out of rehab for you to ask me to move in with you?”

“No” Nicole huffed out in frustration and once more motioned with the plant she held toward Wynonna. “She just gave me the motivation by pointing out that we are already there. Maybe I was a little terrified to ask you.”

“Why?” Waverly was trying not to laugh but nervous Nicole was absolutely adorable to her.

“For all the reasons anyone is ever terrified in life, Waverly. I was afraid you’d say no or laugh in my face or, I don’t know, that it would be too much too fast and you’d leave!” Nicole’s voice rose on the last of her words and it was easy to see she was starting to spiral into a panic.

“Baby, baby, shhhh” Waverly whispered as her hand lifted to her girlfriend’s cheek tenderly. She caught her eyes and gave her a very soft nod to try and calm her down “You had me at the whole destiny by way of flower speech, okay? I’m all in.”

“Yeah?” Nicole perked an eyebrow but still looked a little nervous.

“Absolutely” Waverly nodded once. She lifted onto her toes and touched a feather-like kiss to Nicole’s lips before lowering back to the ground. “Honestly, I have no idea how you hadn’t figured that out already.”

“Well I didn’t wanna assume” Nicole grumbled as her shoulders slumped in defeat. She felt completely silly. But she had definitely made assumptions in the past that had not panned out so she was being cautious.

“Can you two disgusting love birds hurry the Hell up!” Wynonna yelled up from where she had been patiently waiting by Nicole’s car.

“Come on” Waverly said gently as she reached for Nicole’s free hand.

Nicole took hold of the offered hand without pause. She gave a squeeze and the two of them fell in step besides each other. As they drew nearer the car she looked at Waverly and let out a laugh “I forgot to tell you but she totally knew we were late because we are having sex.”

“What!” Waverly’s entire body flushed an immediate red color and her eyes widened in horror.

“She’s 90 days clean. Her senses must be heightened” Nicole let out a laugh and let go of Waverly’s hand so she could fish the keys from her pocket.

“94 days, 17 hours, and…” Wynonna glanced at her watch and gave a nod “Four minutes clean. And yes, my senses are heightened. I feel like Spiderman. But also…” She rolled her eyes and waited for the doors to unlock before she pulled one of the back ones open “...I have eyes? You two are not subtle at all.”

“I’m sorry” Waverly frowned as she climbed into the passenger seat. She turned around to watch her sister climb into the backseat and gave her a nod “But at least you’re coming home, right? How do you feel?”

“I feel good, babygirl” Wynonna’s tone was sincere as she shut the door and reached for her seatbelt. After she clicked the belt into place she looked at her sister and gave a nod “I don’t really know how to thank you and I’m not really good with all the gooey emotional shit so can we please not talk about it right now?”

“Of course” Waverly nodded and turned back around in her seat. Once she was settled and had her seatbelt on she turned her head to look out of the corner of her eyes at her sister behind her. “Nicole is going to teach us how to make dinner tonight. You still like pizza, right?”

Wynonna sputtered out a laugh as if that was the dumbest thing she had ever been asked “The Pope is still Catholic, ain’t he?”

“Allegedly” Nicole nodded with a soft laugh because she thought she was funny.

“And she is going to show us how to make doughnuts for dessert!” Waverly bounced a little in her seat.

“Wait, hold on” Wynonna lifted her hand and looked almost flabbergasted at what she had just heard. “Pizza _and_ doughnuts?”

Waverly nodded excitedly at her sister.

Wynonna perked an eyebrow and looked over the back of Nicole just once. She then gave a little shrug of her shoulders and nodded in approval “Alright, I guess you can keep her.”

~.~.~.~.~.~.


End file.
